The Mile High Gallows
by Murasaki Fujiwara
Summary: Set in Butte, Montana during the Prohibition, a young Naruto Uzumaki's world is torn apart after his mother's murder. ...I suck at summaries, YAOI, Volence, Prostitution, Alchohol, mansex, shouta...etc... ON HOLD!
1. 1928

Naruto sat quietly in his closet, waiting with baited breath until the noises stopped.

He would never forget when the men came and knocked on the door of his mother's modest house. One look out the window and she had told Naruto to go hide in his room.

Naruto peered out of the crack in the door, watching as tall men in long dark coats walked back and fourth through the house. They were wearing scarves over their faces, protecting themselves from the winter's cold and recognition.

He could hear their muffled voices speaking harshly.

"Where is he? "

"I don't know! Please don't drag him into this!" He heard his mother weeping.

"Don't lie to us, woman! Where is the brat!" He hear the sound of skin hitting skin and his mother sobbing.

"I don't know!" She sobbed.

"Hey boss, look." said a blond man with a slightly softer voice. Naruto heard footsteps coming towards his room, coming closer and closer. Naruto's blood froze. They had found him.

He panicked, looking around wildly for an escape. He found one in the crawlspace above his closet. He shut the panel quietly behind him just as the blond man opened the closet door.

"Nothing here, boss!"

Naruto pressed his ear against the dusty floor. The man was leaving. He heard soft thudding noises and then the sound that Naruto would never ever forget for the rest of his life. The sound that would forever make his blood run cold.

A gunshot.

There was never any sound before that, just deadly calm. There was no screaming, no pleading...just...silence.

He sat, frozen in fear in the dusty attic of his mothers modest house, crouching behind an old wooden chest.

After what felt like eternity, he quietly, cautiously opened the panel in the top of his closet, peering down. His closet door had been shut tight. He was locked inside. He let out a moan of frustration, mixed with grief.

"Momma!" He screamed through the solid panel, pounding his fists against the door. He knew full well no one would come. He was going to die here.

He collapsed against the door, sobbing quietly to himself. Those men had been here before. He was too young at the time to understand, but they had come just after papa passed away.

Naruto wiped his tears from his eyes, shaking and hiccupping in the darkness.

He forced himself to be quiet when he heard people walking around outside. He pressed his ear against the door, ready to bolt up into the attic at a moment's notice.

He heard voices, different from before. There was a woman's voice, she sounded panicked, that would be Mrs. Livingston, the elderly neighbor lady. The other was a man's, cool and calm, and unfamiliar.

He heard footsteps approaching and for a moment, Naruto considered fleeing. But the door opened to a tall man in a pinstripe suit and a fedora hat. He looked down at Naruto with mismatched eyes.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Huh?"

Naruto began to tremble, but he nodded nonetheless. The man crouched down in front of him, showing him a badge in his wallet.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, Private Investigator, you can just call me Kakashi. How old are you, kiddo?" Naruto stared at him. No one had called him kiddo since he was nine.

"T-twelve, sir."

Kakashi smiled, his tired looking eyes arching upwards. Naruto stared at him.

"Where is my mother?" Naruto asked, looking past Kakashi into the living room. He saw a figure draped in a white sheet being carried out on a stretcher, his mother's pale hand draped delicately over the side. He saw the pool of blood on the floor.

"Mother!" Naruto screamed, rushing towards her lifeless body as the investigators carried her out. Kakashi caught him in midair, his strength was surprising. He pulled Naruto close to his chest.

"Calm down, kiddo, it's going to be okay." Naruto stopped fighting against the man's chest. He smelled nice, and he was warm, and well muscled. Naruto listened to the steady, comforting beat of Kakashi's heart through his shirt and let a few tears streak down his face.

"It's okay, kiddo." Kakashi said evenly. Naruto fisted his hands in Kakashi's shirt, beginning to sob uncontrollably. Kakashi stroked his hair and whispered words of encouragement into the young boy's ear. Kakashi pulled away after Naruto had calmed slightly, standing up.

"Come on. It's time to go." He put his hand firmly on Naruto's shoulder and led him out of the house. He attempted to divert Naruto's attention from the sight of the crime scene, but morbid curiosity gripped his eyes. He tried not to puke right there as the coppery smell of blood hit his nose. Kakashi's grip on Naruto's shoulder tightened as he steered the boy out of the house.

There was a fancy looking car waiting outside along with the police cars. An officer in a blue uniform approached them.

"Hatake, we're not done with the boy."

Kakashi frowned.

"Hayate, don't you think the kid's been through enough today?"

The officer coughed into a handkerchief.

"That's just it, Hatake. We need to haul him in for questioning. He's a witness." Officer Hayate coughed again, covering his mouth. He stopped after a long time and looked at them with tired eye's. To Naruto, he looked a bit like a puppy with his hair pressed flat against his face by his hat. Naruto simply stared at him.

"Tomorrow." Kakashi said, steering Naruto away yet again. Hayate opened his mouth to protest but nothing but more coughing escaped.

Kakashi sat Naruto in the passenger seat and left to address the police. Naruto felt hollow inside. What was going to happen to him now?

Where was he going to live?

How was he going to survive the streets of Butte, Montana, with the winter coming and all. It was going to be a cold one, or so mother had said...there was always the orphanage...but they sent you into the mines the moment you turned thirteen...

"Mother..." Naruto whispered as one of the police wagons rolled away. Kakashi returned to the automobile, looking as cool and collected as ever.

"Hey, kiddo." He climbed in and started up the vehicle. Naruto remained quiet as the automobile pulled away from the house and rattled up the steep streets. He let out a heavy sigh, grabbing the knees of his pants. Kakashi hummed a nameless tune as he navigated through the winding streets of the mining town.

"Mr. Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened to my mother?"

Kakashi was silent for a long time as they wound their way up the streets of the mining capitol.

"Well, Naruto...She was killed." He said quietly. Naruto stared at him.

He wanted to grab the steering weal away from the man and scream that he wasn't a little boy anymore. But that wasn't polite.

"What I am trying to ask, sir, is who killed her."

Kakashi was quiet yet again.

"Well, kiddo, that's why I'm here. I've been hired by someone very important to find out why. And you're going to help me."

"How am I going to do that?"

"You're going to tell me everything that you saw."

Naruto stared out the window.

"Do you agree to this?"

Naruto stared at his shoes. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Kakashi said with a good natured, catlike grin. The car was silent yet again.

"Um, Mr. Kakashi? Where are we going?" He said, looking around at the tall apartment buildings that dominated Copper Street.

"Well, kiddo, I'll be taking care of you until we figure out just where you go. Orders from the man who hired me."

Naruto let out an audible sigh of relief. Kakashi chuckled and pulled up in front of a Jazz club. Naruto stared at the blinking lights as Kakashi got out of the car. He leaned down.

"Hey, kiddo, you coming?" He said with a chuckle.

Naruto pried the car door open and followed Kakashi to the side of the building. A Chinese laundry sat behind the building and as Naruto climbed the stairs to Kakashi's apartment, a pair of fathomless black eyes peered at him through the slats. Naruto stared back before Kakashi tugged on the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him up the stairs.

Naruto sat in the living room of Kakashi's apartment in one of the squishy chairs. His cerulean blue eyes took in every detail of the room, from the romance novels that sat on the table beneath the lamp to the pictures adorning the walls. Kakashi peered at him from over the top of a desk in the corner, a green bank lamp lighting him eerily.

"Okay, Naruto, tell me once again. The men in the long coats, did you see any insignia on them?"

"Any what? Where?"

Kakashi put his hand down patiently. "Insignia, emblems, badges, that sort of thing. What were they wearing, what did they look like, smell like, anything you can remember."

Naruto sat there in silence, the ticking of the mantle clock driving him crazy. He thought back, God, it was so hard to remember...He could hear the sound of music coming from downstairs, people's laughter. How could they be laughing?

He sighed, taking a deep breath. "All I know is they wore long black coats and covered their faces with scarves." Naruto heard the scratching of pen on paper.

"Anything else, kiddo?"

Naruto fought against his memory, searching for details.

"They called a guy 'boss'."

"They? Who's 'they'? Were there more than one?" Kakashi said patiently. Naruto stared at him like he was stupid. Of course there were more than one.

"Yes, sir. I know of at least two."

"And what can you tell me about them?"

Naruto played with the seams in his pants.

"One had long blond hair, like a woman's. And he had a softer voice than the other."

Kakashi's eyes lit up.

"Now we're getting somewhere, kiddo. What about the other one?"

"I...I really don't know. I couldn't see him."

"And are you sure the blond man was not a woman?"

Naruto nodded. "yes, positive, sir." Kakashi looked elated. He finished writing the information down and ripped it from the notepad.

"Naruto, you stay here and don't open the door to anyone. I'm going to run down the street and make a phone call. In fact, if anyone comes by, pretend you're not here."

Naruto nodded and watched as Kakashi pulled on his coat. "and don't stand in front of the window..." And with that, Kakashi left.

Naruto sat there in silence, the ticking of the clock defining in his ears. He looked around for something to do. The romance novels sat on the table. Naruto made a face. What kind of man would read a romance novel?

He got up an looked around. He opened a cupboard and found it was a radio. He hated to admit it, but this was the first time he had even touched one. He remembered his mothers old phonograph, but it was nothing like this. He twisted one of the knobs and the speakers popped. Naruto leapt into the air his, skin crawling as he dove behind the sofa. To his relief, the only thing that followed was the soft buzz of static. He sighed, letting his muscles relax and came around the side of the couch, sitting down and staring at it, the low hum of static somehow calming his nerves.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Today had been the worst day of his life. Worse than when the men form the mine came and told his mother that his father had been killed in a mining accident. Back then he was only a half-orphan...and now...

He could feel his chest begin to heave as his heart pounded in his chest. He fought back the tears but they started to fall freely down his face.

"Crying is for girls and babies!" He sobbed to himself, but he just couldn't hold it back anymore. His father was gone, his mother was gone...he was really alone now...

He let out a hitched breath and wiped his eyes, looking up. The same pair of fathomless black eyes were staring at him through the sheer curtains on the window. He stopped crying almost immediately and glared back. A boy's moon pale face became visible as he pulled a contorted face. Naruto stared blankly at him. The boy had to be no less than a year older than himself, yet he was pulling faces like a child. Naruto glared and stuck his tongue out. It was then he saw a hand grab the back of the boy's shirt and take him away. Through the door, he could hear a heavily accented woman's voice.

"Leave Mr. Hatake alone, Sai!"

"But Mrs. Chin, It's not Mr. Hatake, it's a boy!"

Naruto hid behind the couch as the woman peered inside. Naruto caught a glimpse of a small, angry looking Chinese woman through the curtains.

"Downstairs, now."

"Yes, ma'am."

The woman didn't leave, but rather, Kakashi came back. Immediately, Mrs. Chin began to ask him questions.

"What's this about a boy in your apartment, Hatake?" She said, her high voice piercing the walls. Kakashi sighed.

"He's a friend of mine's kid, he's staying with me until his parents come back from business in Chicago." Kakashi lied without batting an eyelash. Naruto scowled at him through the curtains, fully aware that Kakashi couldn't see him.

There was no reason to lie, was there?

Kakashi managed to shake the obnoxious woman and key in to the apartment.

"Naruto, get out from behind the couch."

How did he know? Naruto stood up.

"Sit down, kiddo, here's the story..."


	2. The Konoha

Naruto had been living with Kakashi for almost a week. The rules were simple.

No going outside alone.

No answering the door.

No going out at night. Period.

No standing in front of the window.

And the list went on.

Naruto had taken up reading to deal with the constant boredom. Not those stupid romance novels that Kakashi always read, but the law books that sat on the shelves behind Kakashi's desk. At first, he found them incredibly dry, but after a while, he began to understand and possibly even enjoy them. They were old, bound with leather, and smelled slightly, but he had learned to enjoy the smell.

And what more, Naruto seemed to have acquired a stalker. Whenever Kakashi went out, which was a lot, he'd see the same pair of endless brown eyes staring at him through the window.

When he and Kakashi left to go somewhere, the boy, Sai, would watch them and sometimes follow them as far as he could before he was squawked at by Mrs. Chin.

Naruto glanced at the mantle clock. Yep, Kakashi had been gone for five minutes that meant... He looked over his book out the window. Sai was standing outside. Naruto let out a heavy sigh and went to the window. He opened it a crack.

"What do you want?" He snapped irritably. The boy blinked slowly. "Do you speak English?" Naruto said, speaking slowly this time. Sai blinked at him, a slow smile playing across his face. Naruto glared at him.

"Why don't you come outside?" Naruto stared dryly at him.

"I can't."

Sai's smile widened. "What's wrong, scared of me?"

"I'm not allowed."

"Don't be such a girl."

Naruto went to shut the window but Sai stopped him.

"Come on. Do you even have a dick? Or do you think I'm another Chinaman?"

Naruto saw red. He couldn't think of an adequate comeback for that, and what the heck did he mean by "I'm not another Chinaman?"

Naruto chose to address the latter.

"What do you mean, you're not another Chinaman? You look Chinese to me." Sai gave him on of his fake looking smiles.

"Nope."

"Well, if you aren't Chinese, then what are you?"

Sai tilted his head in an annoyingly girlish way. He was even pretty like a girl.

"My parent's were from Nippon."

"Ni-Nippon? What's the difference?" Naruto asked, sliding the window open and crawling out. Kakashi never had said anything about not crawling out the window, though Naruto doubted he had thought of that. Once outside, he shivered due to the chilly of the late October night. He looked up at Sai, who was about a year older than him, with dark hair and even darker eyes. His skin looked white in the artificial light of the lamppost nearby. Downstairs, he could hear the Jazz club in full swing.

"Come on!" Sai grabbed his wrist and pulled him down the stairs. Upon the skin to skin contact, Naruto felt his heart skip a beat and begin to pound wildly against his chest. He credited it, at the time, to adrenaline.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sai shouted into the shadows by the back entrance. Another boy, who looked identical to Sai, only a little older, turned around.

Naruto immediately envied these two. They were taller, well built, and handsome with pale, high cheekbones and immeasurable dark eyes. They were beautiful and mysterious and Naruto couldn't help but feel self-conscious around them.

"Hey, kid, check this out." Sasuke said arrogantly, striding up to the back door of the club. Naruto watched his fluid movements with a small amount of envy.

Sasuke knocked on the door. A pair of sparkling dark eyes appeared through a sliding panel at the top.

"You two again? Hey, who's the other brat?"

Sasuke and Sai looked back at Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, sir." Naruto said politely masking his fear. The man's eyes widened, scanning him up and down.

"Uzumaki, eh? How old are ya?"

"Twelve, sir?" Naruto ended with more of a question than an answer. The man behind the door let out a sigh of disapproval.

"Geeze, just a kid..."

"Oh, please, Mr. Asuma!" Sai begged. Naruto looked him over. Sai was definitely the more feminine of the two. He blinked those amazing eyes slowly at the man.

"What are you lookin' at, kid?" The man snapped, then with heavy sigh, he opened the door. The strange visage that lay before Naruto's eyes was unlike anything he had ever imagined. Sai pulled Naruto inside behind Sasuke and the brown eyed man closed the door. The back of the club was full of women clad in shimmering gowns with knee-length fringes of various colors. Mingling with them were musicians toting shiny instruments, all dressed to the nines.

A woman in red dress with long shimmering fringes strode toward them on her dangerously high heels.

"Asuma..." She said, her voice low and smoky, her dark hair pulled up into a bun with finger waves framing her face. To Naruto, she was elegance embodied. Asuma's cheeks flushed dark red at the woman who clung to him, her long stands of pearls dangling about her neck and brushing against Asuma's thigh.

"Miss Kurenai...aren't you due on stage soon?" He asked, glancing over at the boys. Kurenai followed his gaze, her reddish eyes falling on the boys.

"So you boy's are back, huh? Who's the new kid, he's kind of cute." She grabbed hold of Naruto's cheek with her polished fingernails and pinched.

"Naruto Uzamaki, ma'am."

"Oh, he's so polite, too! Asuma, you could learn something from this kid." She said, brushing a finger beneath Asuma's chin and slinking away as the music started again. Asuma stared after her, his mouth open and his eye's glazed over. Sai let out a girlish giggle. As soon as the woman turned away, Naruto rubbed the sore spot on his cheek.

"Mr. Asuma fancies Miss Kurenai." Sai said matter-of-factly. Asuma turned a darker shade of red.

"Shut up, kid. And keep a low profile. The boss is here tonight."

The Boss? Naruto's heart began to beat wildly as he scanned the crowded back for the men in the dark coats. He was torn between morbid curiosity and fear. Sai's steady grip on his arm kept him from bolting.

Sasuke looked back over his shoulder at them. "Come on, brats." He said, before cutting through the crowd. Sai pulled Naruto after them like a rag doll. Sai turned to Naruto.

"That was Miss Kurenai, the club's main act, and Asuma keeps the pigs from finding the liquor."

"The pigs? What would pigs be doing in a club?" Naruto asked bluntly.

"Pigs...you know...police?"

Naruto blinked dumbly. He was suffering from culture shock. Sai led him to the bar, shoving him roughly onto one of the stools.

"Wait here, I'll be right back!" Naruto watched at the other boy disappeared into the crowd.

He sat there amidst the throng, lost in the sea of booze and glamour. The room fell silent as the stage darkened. A lone spotlight lit the stage, bathing the center in golden light. Miss Kurenai stepped out on stage at the music started up, slowly, each swing of the fringes of her dress brought a new rise, a new outburst in the music. Her pace quickened with the music, bringing about spinning and stepping, the movements were so fast.. She looked so beautiful, her beaded dress spinning and swaying in the spotlight. Naruto let out a gasp that set the woman next to him laughing.

"And she calls herself a dancer..." Naruto's eye's shifted to the woman. Her blond hair was also styled much like Miss. Kuranai's, except it was cut short. She was dressed fashionably, wearing the same painfully high heels as the dancers backstage. Naruto stared at her. Her honey colored eyes looked Naruto up and down.

"I used to be the greatest, you know. Back in Chicago..." He voice trailed off as she took a swig of her amber liquid. "...they used to call me 'Lady Tsunade'..." She slammed the cup down on the counter. "More whisky, Mac." A man with short, dark hair filled her glass. She took another swig, swirling the alcohol in her glass.

"I like you, brat, you have an honest face...but..." She sighed. "You remind me of someone..." Naruto stared at her. She grabbed his arm.

"Come on, entertain an old woman..." Naruto hadn't noticed the change in the music's tempo. She took him out on the dance floor. The only other experience Naruto had ever had dancing, was his mother trying to teach him to waltz. That ended with her collapsing on the couch, a sad smile on her face.

"You have two left feet, just like your father!" She would laugh, her delicate arms draped gently in her lap. Naruto thought at the time that she was the most wonderful woman he had ever met, an opinion he would never change. The music stopped for a moment.

"So, brat, what's you're name?" Lady Tsunade said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

"N-Naruto Uzamaki, ma'am." he said, coughing due to the smoke. Her amber eyes widened and she blew out another puff of smoke.

"Come on, brat, I'm gonna introduce you to someone."

"Ah, but..." once again, he was dragged away by an almost complete stranger. He scanned the crowd for Sai and Sasuke as he was dragged over to a table in the corner. A man in a dark suit sat talking with a white haired man. The entire table was surrounded by cheap looking women. Another man with a long, dark ponytail sat in the shadows, smoking a hookah. It was the people that surrounded him that caught Naruto's attention. The man behind him was wearing a nurses apron, and his large, round glasses shone eerily in the dim light. The other Naruto recognized as Sasuke, and he was clinging to the man the same way as the cheap women were clinging to the white haired man. The black haired man ran his hand over Sasuke's hips, fingering the teens thigh. Sasuke ground deeper into the man's waist, wrapping his arms tighter around the man. The man smiled, his canines more pronounced than average. His face was deathly pale and his cheeks hollowed, giving him an almost skeletal appearance as he puffed on the hookah.

Both the older men looked up when Tsunade slinked towards them. The white haired man stood up, shaking the women off of him and offered Tsunade his chair. The third man remained seated, his face hidden by his dark hat. Sasuke barely acknowledged Naruto when he neared the table. He felt strange, almost envious of the man in the corner, to have such an ethereal boy clinging to him as if... Naruto shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Tsunade drew Naruto close to her.

"This, gentlemen, is Naruto Uzamaki. Isn't he just the bees knees?" Tsunade pinched his cheek, her tremendous breasts bouncing beneath her gold gown.

The shadowed man in the dark suit stirred slightly but said nothing. Naruto was greeted only with a nod. The white haired man looked down with a kind smile.

"Hey, Kiddo, I'm Jiraiya, just Jiraiya. Pleased to meet you!" Jiraiya seized Naruto's hand and shook it. Naruto stared up at the tall man as he shook his arm almost violently. Jiraiya pulled Naruto close and turned him around to face the table, keeping a constant grip on the boy's shoulder.

"Geeze, what a cute kid." He laughed, stealing a chair from a nearby table and sitting down. He kept Naruto close to his shoulder, similar to the way the ponytail's man kept Sasuke, but he wasn't touchy, nor did he want Naruto to cling to him like that.

"Naruto, the man in the corner is Orrochimaru, the lad behind him is his personal nurse, Kabuto, and Sasuke...this right here, is Mr. Namikaze."

The man in the dark suit nodded, a slow smile crossing his face. He beckoned Naruto towards him, taking him by the hands.

"Let me have a look at you, boy. Turn around." He forced Naruto to turn on the spot, eye's scanning him over from beneath the shadowy brim of his fedora. "You're Kushina's boy, aren't you?"

"Y-yes...how did you know, sir?"

The man let go of him and stood up, a dashing half-smile crossing his shadowed face.

"We'll just say...I knew your parents, ne?" He tipped the brim of his hat and left.

Naruto stared after the man, a chill running down his spine. He felt Jiraiya's hand on his shoulder and turned to look at the older man.

"I think someone is looking from you, kiddo." He nodded towards the stage, Sai was scanning the crowd from on top of a chair. Naruto stared blankly at the boy. What was wrong with him?

Orrochimaru licked his lips and turned to Sasuke.

"How long?" He said, his voice low compared to the din. Sasuke leaned forward, nibbling on the other man's ear.

"Wait few years for that one..." Sasuke whispered. Orrochimaru let out a low growl, running his tongue along the teen's jaw. Sasuke tilted his head upwards, hands fisting slightly in the fabric of the man's suit.

Jiraiya waved to the Sai with a smile. Moment's later, the boy appeared by Jiraiya's side.

"Hello, Naruto." He said brightly. Tsunade glared at the boy over the top of her drink.

"You know this kid, Oda?" She asked, taking a long drag from a fresh cigarette.

Sai tilted his head, that fake-looking smile back.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said, swigging her drink. She put the glass down just as a dowdy, dark haired woman in a long black dress and a grey coat cut through the crowd irritably.

"Miss Tsunade! You're not drinking again, are you? Oh, you need to stay away from these places!" The woman began to fuss over the older woman. Tsunade dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

"Come on, Shizune, cant an old lady relive her glory days?" Tsunade said, taking another drag from her cigarette. Shizune let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh well..." Tsunade stood up. "Since the boss already left, I suppose I should go home, too."

Naruto stared at her, his blood running cold. Were all the people working for 'the Boss'? She stood up, tottering on her heels as she donned her coat and followed the young, dark haired woman out. She waved goodbye over her shoulder. "See you around, brat." She laughed as her blond head disappeared through the crowd.

Sasuke and the man named Orrochimaru began to kiss intimately. Jiraiya made a face.

"Come on, boys, lets go see what the ladies are doing backstage." He dragged Naruto and Sai away from the corner table.

Once backstage, Jiraiya called them aside.

"That man back there, Orrochimaru...avoid him like the plague..." Jiraiya said quietly, looking around. "and, Naruto, I think it's time you went home. Kakashi went home a long time ago."

Naruto stared at Jiraiya. "Uh...how did you know..."

"Kakashi...he's an old friend, and he works for...my boss. Come on, I'll take you back..." Jiraiya said, taking both boy's by the shoulders and leading them outside. Asuma nodded to them as they left.

Sai said goodnight to them and went off towards Mrs. Chin's laundry. Jiraiya walked him up the stairs and paused on the landing, knocking on the door. Kakashi opened it, and upon seeing Naruto, he looked pissed.

"Naruto." His voice was deadly calm. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

Naruto blinked up at him, slowly nodding his head.

"It's all right, Kakashi, he was with me for almost the entire time. It was Sai Oda's idea, he dragged Naruto downstairs and introduced him to Tsunade."

Kakashi sighed, wiping a hand over his mouth.

"Go to bed, now. We'll discuss this in the morning."

"But..."

"Bed. Now. Go." Kakashi slapped Naruto's butt on his way to the back room. Naruto started to go, but paused at the sight of a blonde man sitting with his back to him in front of Kakashi's desk.

"Bed." Kakashi warned.

Naruto stared at the back of the man's head as he went into the back room.

He closed the door, and almost immediately head the other men's voices.

"Just go easy on him, Kakashi..."

"He could have been killed, Jiraiya."

"But he wasn't...Look, as long as Mr. Namikaze owns the club, the Akatsuki won't dare set foot anywhere near it..."

"And yet Orrochimaru was there tonight..."

"Orrochimaru is no longer a member of the Akatsuki..."

"Nothing happened, okay? He entertained Tsunade and I, while that Sasuke Uchiha entertained Orrochimaru."

"What do you mean, entertained?"

"Nothing kinky, just..."

A third man's voice chimed in. Naruto guessed it was the blondes.

"Mr. Jiraiya, if you please, Kakashi and I...were discussing the fate of the boy's mother..."

Naruto gasped, pushing his ear closer to the door.

"The Akatsuki, sir...they took out a hit on her a couple weeks ago, at least, that's what my sources say... the Uchiha's older brother is a member..."

"Who, Itachi? He used to be one of ours until he flipped out..." Jiraiya's deep voice rumbled from the other side of the door.

Naruto shifted his position, putting weight on his knees.

"I have to find out, just who did it..." the third man's voice chimed in, sounding shaky. " I never meant for this to catch up to her. I wanted them to be safe, that's why..."

"Boss..." Kakashi's voice said quietly.

"It's okay, Minato..." Jiraiya's voice sounded quiet through the door. Naruto heard footsteps on the other side. The door opened.

"Naruto, I said go to bed."

Naruto stood up, glaring at the silver haired young man. The door shut as Naruto stood up. Grudgingly, he got ready for bed.

From beyond the door, Naruto hear Jiraiya's voice once again.

"Minato, with your permission, I would like to look after Naruto for a while."

Naruto stopped, looking at the door. He immediately thought of Sai's perfect face, those thick lips and endless eyes...the raven hair... Naruto wondered if it was as soft as it looked... he thought of the feeling of Sai's skin on his wrist, his calloused hands touching his arms. Naruto wondered how the rest of Sai's skin felt.

He didn't want to leave, to move away from Sai. He closed his eyes and lay back against the pillow, slowly drifting off to sleep.


	3. Blood on the Snow

A/N: Just to warn you...there is sex in this chapter and it's between two minors, so...

He he...um...

yeah...

* * *

Naruto stood on the landing, watching Sai working outside the Chinese laundry, scrubbing a mass of white shirts.

Mrs. Chin came out and said something to him Sai stood up and went inside.

Naruto turned around as Kakashi came out, his mismatched eyes scanning the street below.

"You now this is not my choice, kiddo, right? If it were up to me, you'd be staying here."

Naruto nodded. "I know, sir..." Kakashi reached out and ruffled Naruto's blond hair.

"Mr. Jiraiya will take good care of you, and you're welcome to come visit when you're in this district. My door is always open to you."

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Mr. Hatake...I was wondering...have you found out who killed my mother yet?"

Kakashi's eyes widened, but he shook his head. "No, we haven't gotten any new leads..."

Naruto stared at the ground. He knew from the other night that was a lie. "Okay..." He said quietly. Kakashi touched his chin gently.

"Don't ever change, kid. You gotta be a man, but don't ever lose your innocence." He said with a dashing half-smile. Naruto grinned back hollowly.

"Mr. Hatake, can I say goodbye to Sai?"

Kakashi nodded, and Naruto went down the wooden stairs and down to the front of the Laundry. Mrs. Chin looked up when he opened the door.

"Hello, Mr. Naruto!" She said, tearing herself away from her Chinese newspaper. Her hair was set in curlers and wrapped in a towel. She looked almost comical to Naruto.

"Hello, Mrs. Chin."

"Are you here to see Sai?"

"Actually, yes, I'm moving and I wanted to say goodbye."

"Okay, kid, he's on break. He should be out back."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chin."

He left, going around the side of the wooden building, the smell of soap and starch filling his nose.

He spotted a table sitting in front of what looked miles and miles of clotheslines, draped in clothes and sheets.

He saw Sai's lunchbox sitting unopened on the table, the smell of Mai Wah noodles permeating the air around it. Sai must have been among the sheets. God only knew what that crazy bastard was doing...

Naruto ducked beneath the stiff white fabric, searching for his friend. After a little while, he heard noises beyond the sheets. Quietly, he peeked around the side of a freshlt laundered sheet.

Sasuke was leaning with his back to the wall, breathing heavily, his cock hanging out of his pants. Sai was kneeling on the ground before him, completely naked. Sasuke's hands were fisted in Sai's hair as Sai licked and nibbled at Sasuke's cock. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat, the sensation pooling in his groin.

"I'm not feeling it, Sai..." Sasuke muttered thrusting intentionally into Sai's mouth. Sai almost gagged but attacked his task with greater enthusiasm, obviously seeking Sasuke's approval . Naruto rubbed his groin slightly, feeling an odd tingling sensation between his legs as he watched the two boys. He shouldn't be getting...excited...over this, should he? They were two boys...

"You're trying to hard, idiot..." Sasuke snapped, pulling the boy roughly off of his cock and throwing him face down on the ground. Sai pulled himself up slightly, but Sasuke pushed him back down with his foot, kneeling behind him. Sasuke pulled Sai's hips up level to his cock, inserting his fingers inside Sai's hole. Naruto looked down between his legs, spotting a growing lump in his pants. Sasuke began to thrust his fingers in and out of Sai's opening. Sai let out a moan and Sasuke slapped Sai's butt cheek.

"Shut up, do you want to get in trouble?"

"N-no, Sasuke...please..." Sai moaned, the red handprint on his hip fading to white as the boy angled his ass higher in the air for Sasuke.

Sasuke pulled his fingers out of Sai's ass and positioned his dripping cock at Sai's entrance.

"Now, what do we say when a client wants this, Sai?" He asked, pushing his member deep into Sai. Sai choked back a cry as Sasuke reached around, placing two fingers into Sai's open mouth.

" Don't act so displeased...do you do this with your clients?" Sasuke snapped coldly, thrusting into the younger teen. Naruto's eyes widened. Were Sai and Sasuke prostitutes?

Sai bit his lip, positioning his face on his hands so it wouldn't scrape in the dirt. Sasuke pulled out so that his shaft was exposed, but the head remained inside.

Naruto both hated and envied Sasuke. He hated him for hurting Sai, he envied Sasuke for being able to touch Sai so familiarly.

"Sasuke...is...is this okay?"

Another slap.

"Don't be an idiot."

Naruto trembled, his heart aching, He wanted to be the one to touch Sai, to run his hands down the older boy's sides, to feel the soft, pale skin, not Sasuke...

Naruto shook his head, dismissing these thoughts. Sai was a boy. And boys shouldn't love other boys...should they?

He watched as Sasuke thrust into Sai, who was moaning and biting his lip. Sasuke adjusted his angle and thrust in harder. Sai had no choice but to move his hands, his face scraping against the dirt. His arms stretched out in front of him, his hands fisting in the dirt. The dust swirled around his body as it hit the dirt repeatedly. Tears were leaking down Sai's face as Sasuke thrust in one last time before slowly pulling out. Naruto watched with fascination as cum oozed out of Sai's abused hole. Sasuke stood up, wiping himself off on one of the sheets and re-buttoning his pants. Without another word to Sai, he disappeared into the field of sheets, leaving Sai to lay face down in the dirt. The alleyway was silent, the only sound came from the pigeons on the tops of the high brick buildings. Sai tried to move, a low groan escaping his lips, his hips obviously tender from the entire ordeal. Naruto hesitated, contemplating whether or not he should go out there and help his friend. He didn't want Sai to wonder about the lump in his pants, either.

Naruto stood up, pulling back the sheet and walking forward. Sai looked at him from his place on the ground.

"Naruto..." He whispered, his voice low and raspy, the tears mingled with dirt on his cheeks.

Naruto knelt by his friends side. "Sai...what happened?"

Sai struggled to get up, his arms shaking, his face reddened with embarrassment. She stood shakily on his legs and limped over to the wall. Tears were leaking steadily down his face.

"Go away." He sobbed. Naruto blinked at him, knitting his eyebrows. Sai bit his lip as he bent down to retrieve his discarded clothing.

"Sai...I'm moving. I'm going away for a long time."

Sai avoided his gaze as he pulled his clothes on.

"Sai..." He fell quiet, his heart filling with desperation. He had to get his friends attention...he had to make Sai remember him...

He grabbed Sai's upper arm, spinning him around. What came next neither of them expected. Naruto crashed his lips against the older boys, wrapping his arms around his neck. Sai blinked for a moment before leaning into the kiss and wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist, the tip of Naruto's growing erection getting friction from Sai's naked hip. Sai pulled away from the kiss reluctantly, repositioning Naruto into a hug.

"I'll miss you! Come back and see me, if you can..." Sai whispered. Naruto pulled away, waving to his friend before disappearing into the sheets and wondering what he was going to do about his erection.

Jiraiya was waiting with Kakashi on the landing. They waved down at him and he waved back, climbing the stairs.

"Did you say your goodbyes?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded, picking up his carpetbag full of clothes retrieved from the crime scene.

"Okay, let's go." Jiraiya said with a smile, putting his arm around the boy and taking him down the stairs. The cut through the alleyway out to the curb. Naruto was just climbing into the car when he saw Sai come running down the alleyway towards the car. Jiraiya closed the door, getting into the drivers seat and starting the engine. Naruto pressed his hands up against the glass as the car pulled away, Sai running after a short ways.

Naruto stared sadly out the window at his friend, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. He hadn't realized until now exactly how he felt about Sai. He turned around and faced the front. Jiraiya glanced over at him.

"Don't worry about it. That, too, shall pass."

Naruto blinked his azure eyes up at the older man.

"What if I don't want it to?"

Jiraiya chuckled, patting Naruto on the knee as they drove up the steep Butte streets.

xXx

Naruto liked Jiraiya's house a lot better. Rather than living in Butte itself, he lived in a small town named Walkerville, just northwest of the city, closer to the mines.

Naruto suspected that the old pervert had somewhat dishonest connections to the mines themselves, mostly because all sorts of people were in and out of the man's house at every hour of every day.

And on top of that, the man was a super pervert. He had hung nude paintings of women up around his house in the name of art. But Naruto kind of enjoyed it there. It was quieter, more like what he was used to, but it was dull, and he missed Sai and Sasuke. At least Jiraiya let Naruto run around in the back yard.

But it was cold in November, so Naruto didn't go out much. To his pleasure, he discovered that the attic window looked over Butte.

From his vantage point, he could see where Kakashi and Sai lived. He was happy for a little while, but eventually, his heart just ached worse.

One evening in early December, Jiraiya poked his head up into the attic.

"Hey, kiddo, I'm going to the club, you wanna tag along?"

Naruto was beside himself as he ran down the stairs to his room and grabbed his coat and shoes. Jiraiya smiled, he knew it was wrong to encourage those kinds of feelings in the boy, but he was such a romantic at heart and couldn't stand to see the boy in pain.

"Okay, kid, you gotta keep a low profile." Jiraiya said quietly as the crunched across the snow and ice and climbed into the car.

The car sped down the steep streets towards the club, the flashing spiral of the leaf sign cutting through the haze of the falling snow. Naruto exhaled against the cool glass as the pulled up, fogging up the window. Outside of the club stood Tsunade in a long green coat trimmed with dark fur. Beneath that, Naruto spotted glittering fringes of a cream colored dress and a pair of dancing shoes. Tsunade's attendant, Shizune, stood beside her, shivering in her long black coat. There was another woman there, a girl in her late teens with strawberry blonde hair that was more strawberry than blonde.

Naruto got out of the car just as Jiraiya gave Tsunade a big hug. He golden eyes lit up when she saw Naruto and she bent down to give him a hug and pinch his cheek.

"I'm glad you made it for my big performance!" She said with a wink as Jiraiya opened the door for the three ladies. Naruto walked in right behind the strawberry head. She turned and gave Naruto a small smile, her pretty green eyes scrunching up around the edges.

Naruto ignored her as he scanned the club for any sign of Sai or Kakashi. That crazy Sai wouldn't miss something a big as this...there were way too many people here for Sai not to. Naruto jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Kakashi.

"Hey kiddo, come to watch Tsunade's Montana premiere?" Naruto nodded, not really sure of what he meant. Jiraiya beckoned them over to their usual corner table. Orrochimaru was sitting in his usual spot, smoking his usual hookah, Kabuto was standing quietly behind him. But his mouth turned up at the edges at the sight of Naruto and he nodded.

Jiraiya offered Shizune and the girl some chairs before sitting down with Kakashi and Naruto. The club fell almost deadly silent as the music started up, a low, throbbing tempo. The red velvet curtain came up slowly and the pale one's beneath it parted.

Tsunade started with her back to the audience and a shiver of anticipation ran through the crowd as she began to move in time with the music, her voice nothing but a smoky whisper above the crowd, sending waves of pleasure into the audience's ears.

As a nearby table, Naruto spotted Miss Kurenai sitting on Asuma's lap, nodding in time to the music and smiling while Asuma kissed her neck. His eyes roved the room as the music became more erratic, Tsunade's feet hitting the floor and dress swaying like the storm tossed sea. Her voce rose and fell, the audience a hush before her. Naruto's eyes fell on many dark haired people, mostly women, with the same pale skin. He looked back up at the stage, the bright lights, the swift, graceful movements of the woman...He sighed as he watched her. The entire room was so enthralled by the dancer that Naruto was sure he could have slipped away from the table, had it not been for Kakashi's hand on his shoulder. It was almost as if Kakashi knew what he was thinking. The man looked down at him, his mismatched eyes boring holes into him.

"We'll talk later, Naruto. Just enjoy the show for now, okay?" Naruto nodded, secretly cursing the man. He was so focused that he did not see Mr. Namikaze come in and sit down behind him, and he didn't see Kakashi leave with him moments later. He continued to scan the crowd for Sai. He saw Sasuke coming towards them in the crowd. Naruto waved discreetly to the teen, and Sasuke offered a small, arrogant smile. The pink haired girl grew rather excited. It seemed that she, too, knew Sasuke.

"Come to watch the show with us, Sasuke?" Sasuke gave her a smirk and took an unusually chaste stance behind Orrochimaru, leaning down and whispering in the man's ear.

Orrochimaru leaned back, exhaling a cloud of smoke and nibbling on the boy's neck.

Naruto looked away, feeling an awkward moment coming on between the two. He couldn't focus on Tsunade's dancing, even if he tried.

It was then he saw _them_ come in, in their long black coats, black and red scarves covering their faces. To anyone else, the appeared to be simply shielding themselves from the cold night, but Naruto knew better. He looked around for Kakashi.

Damn, where had he gone?

He tugged on Jiraiya's shoulder.

"Just a minute, kiddo, Tsunade's almost done."

"But..."

"Shhh..."

Naruto got up, sneaking through the crowd, his heart beating wildly. He had to find Kakashi...when did this place get so hot? He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Someone backed into him and he dropped to his hands and knees, finding his way easier under the tables. The music stopped and he heard people getting up and the thunderous clap of applause. He peeked from beneath the table and his heart stopped.

A young man with a ponytail and eye's just like Sasuke's was standing right next to the table he was beneath. He wore the trademark dark coat and red scarf. His partner was a tall man with bluish skin and scars on his hollowed cheeks. The man's amber eyes met with Naruto's blue ones and he poked the pony tailed man in the arm. Naruto's heart pounded against his chest, his knees rooted to the spot. The taller man bent down.

"Well, hello, there, kiddo." His voice was deep and his teeth were rather pointed. From this angle, Naruto thought he looked rather like a shark. He tried to get up, to run, or scream, or anything, but he could only stare with wide eyes as the taller man grabbed him by the back of the jacket, hauling him up and cupping a hand over Naruto's mouth.

"Come on, kiddo, be quiet and come with us and you won't have to get hurt." He said evenly. Naruto felt his blood run cold as the man half dragged/half carried him out of the club.

Naruto began to fight against the shark man's strong arms, flailing about wildly as they reached the door. Jiraiya looked up just in time.

"LET GO OF HIM HOSHIGAKI! He shouted across the crowded hall, reaching beneath his jacket as he ran towards the small group. The shark man froze, turning slowly and looking at the older man. The entire room seemed to freeze at the sound of Jiraiya's normally calm voice.

"Itachi...take care of these nice people for me, would you?"

The elder Uchiha nodded, his cold eyes falling on the blond boy before he reached beneath his coat and pulled out a gun. Naruto shied away, pressing further into Kisame.

"Oh, don't worry kiddo, we aren't going to shoot you..." Kisame said with a half chuckle.

Without another word, Itachi opened fire on the crowd, backing Kisame and Naruto out of the club. From outside, Naruto could hear people screaming and yelling as bullets ripped through the air, ricocheting off of metal and brick. Itachi came out moment's afterward, tossing the spent firearm in a snowdrift.

"Hoshigaki, get him in the car!" Itachi snapped, pulling out another gun as Jiraiya came after them.

Naruto felt something cold hit Kisame as he was being dragged down the sidewalk.

"Let him go!" A ball of white went sailing through the air, hitting Kisame in the face yet again. Kisame stopped, his amber eyes falling on a shadow in the alley.

"Sai!" Naruto screamed, pushing on Kisame's arm.

"Hoshigaki, no, we're not here for him. The Boss said..."

"The Boss can wait, Itachi." Kisame said, throwing Naruto towards Itachi. Naruto felt himself sliding on the ice, unable to gain control over his feet as he landed roughly in Itachi's wool clad arms.

Kisame pulled out a gun from beneath his coat.

"Kisame, stop wasting our time on that brat! We need to go." Itachi hissed. The world around them seemed to slow at Kisame took aim at Sai, puling the trigger. Naruto screamed, lunging forward in Itachi's arms. Sai went down into a snow bank and Naruto twisted, kicking Itachi in the crotch. Kisame took aim at Sai again and Naruto lunged forward, biting Kisame in the arm. Kisame swore and dropped the gun, swinging his arm to shake the boy off.

Naruto tasted blood as he felt himself get thrown down to the sidewalk. Jiraiya rounded the corner, shooting at the other men. Naruto scrambled up, hearing the bullet's whizzing past his head.

"Get down, Naruto!" Jiraiya warned, taking aim once again as Itachi and Kisame climbed into their car. Naruto ignored the man, stumbling through the dirty snow bank towards Sai. Naruto saw a blush of crimson in the snow and felt the tears collecting in his eyes.

Naruto couldn't stand the thought of losing someone else before the turn of the year. He knelt by Sai, lifting the boy's head into his lap and touching the fine black hair. It was as he imagined, it was soft. Sai stirred, looking up at him through clouded eyes.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Naruto nodded, his eyes searching the black-clad boy for the wound. There was a bloom of red above his right hip.

"Sai..." Naruto whispered, tears running down his face. Sai's hands were cold as he touched the marks on Naruto's cheeks.

Jiraiya came over, kneeling by them and lifting Sai to his chest.

"Come on, Naruto, we need to get inside before they come back for another round..."


	4. Goobye, Sai

A/N: No

* * *

Naruto opened the remains of the door going into the club. The place was in shambles, there was blood on the floors and tables, broken glass everywhere. People were standing up, cradling loved ones and sobbing. Jiraiya cut past Naruto with Sai, who looked over Jiraiya's shoulder at Naruto. His deep eyes were clouded over with pain, but his face was serene as he looked fondly at Naruto. Naruto trotted along by his side, touching Sai's arms and back as much as he could in an attempt to comfort him. They made it to the back of the club where Tsunade and her posse were waiting.

"What's with the Oda kid, Jiraiya?" She snapped coolly.

"He's been shot, Tsunade, we need you help." Jiraiya said, clutching Sai somewhat protectively.

"Oh, no, I am not doing that again..." Tsunade said, backing away with a glare.

"Tsunade, we were all in that war. He needs your help. And had it not been for him, they would have gotten away with Naruto."

The woman let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, but you owe me big." She said, turning and exiting the back door. They climbed the stairs to Kakashi's apartment, pounding on the door.

The curtains parted and moment's later Kakashi opened it.

"Hope you don't mind, we need to borrow your kitchen table."

Kakashi spotted the blood and stepped aside, showing them the way to the kitchen. He brought back some sheets and spread them out on the table. Jiraiya laid Sai down, pulling off the thin jacket and even thinner shirt. Naruto drank up the sight of the porcelain pale skin, stained red with blood. Sai was...beautiful. Naruto took a stance beside Sai's head as Tsunade prodded at the wound with her fingertips.

"Okay, Kakashi, get me some Vodka, some tongs, a butter knife, and a bowl of water... you know, the works. Sakura, I need you to standby. Shizune, run down the block and call the pigs, tell 'em what happened."

Kakashi went around gathering supplies while Tsunade rid Sai of the rest of his clothes. She glared at the worn out state of most of them but said nothing.

"Jiraiya, Mr. Namikaze, I need you two to hold him down once this starts."

They both nodded in agreement. Shizune donned her coat and left while Sakura stood behind Tsunade. Kakashi handed her the vodka and she tore off a strip of cloth, saturating it before dabbing at the wound. She ran the vodka over her hands before taking a swig from the bottle and setting it down.

"Okay...Minato, you take his left leg, Kakashi, his right. Jiraiya, stabilize his hips." Shizune returned and took his arm while Naruto had his other arm, rubbing and stroking it as he rested his head on Sai's porcelain shoulder. He reached up and touched Sai's silken hair. Sai let out a scream as Sakura pushed the tongs into the wound and held them open.

Naruto dimly heard Tsunade say the wound wasn't as bad as it looked. Naruto let his lips brush against the other boy's cheek.

"SShhh...It's going to be okay..." Naruto whispered, more to himself rather than to Sai. But it worked. Sai fell quiet, his endless eye's staring deeply into Naruto's. He shut his eyes as Tsunade pried the bullet out, dropping it on the table. She took the needle and thread that Kakashi brought her and sewed the opening shut while Sakura dabbed at it with a rag. Sai was holding his breath while Naruto stroked his hair. He found his lips brushing against the other boy's cheek.

"Okay, were good to go." Tsunade said, tying a knot in the thread. The men let go of Sai, but Naruto remained, though pulling away slightly.

"Let's move him to the spare bedroom." Kakashi said, lifting the sheet slightly.

Jiraiya nodded, taking the other end.

"Careful, don't let the wound open up..." Tsunade said as Mr. Namikaze took up the middle, supporting the boy's weight. Naruto followed behind like a puppy, albeit a concerned puppy, but a puppy nonetheless. They laid Sai on the bed gently, Tsunade checking his wound again before running a bandage around his waist.

"Naruto, you stay here with Sai, okay?" Kakashi said, touching Naruto's shoulder as he left.

Naruto climbed up on the bed next to Sai, putting his arm around the other boy's shoulder like his mother used to.

He wanted to stay here and protect the other boy forever, and never let him out of his sight.

Sai looked up at him, his dark eyes filled with tears of pain that refused to fall.

"Hey..." He said, his voice low and gravelly. "I...I came back...I...wanted to see you."

"You...came back? Where were you? Did you go somewhere?"

Sai smiled, his perfect lips curving up beautifully.

"I...worked off my debt to Mrs. Chin... and I went to live with some other boys on the western edge of town, to work at the Orphan Girl mine. I heard that you would be here tonight..." Sai closed his eyes, the dark lashes curving upwards in his smile.

"Sai... thank you...thank you for saving me..." Naruto said, touching Sai's face gently. The tears that had once refused to fall were now flowing freely down the porcelain skin.

"Naruto...I...I missed you so much...I tried to lean where they took you, but... the old lady wouldn't spill... " He said, taking a shuddering breath as he bit back the pain. Naruto leaned down and kissed Sai on the cheek, tasting the tears on his lips. Sai closed his deep eyes, sighing softly. Naruto curled up beside him, covering him with the blankets and wrapping his arms around the other boy's shoulders. Sai leaned his head on Naruto's shoulder, his soft black hair brushing against the other boy's face. He closed his eyes and drifted off in Naruto's warm arms.

Sai woke up a couple hours later, Naruto's arms still firmly around his shoulders. He saw a dark shadow standing next to the bed. A pale hand reached down, brushing the hair from his face.

"Hello, Mr. Oda..." A cool, soft voice cut through the air, making Sai thankful for the warmth of the other boy's body. "You and I...we've never met before...My name is Orochimaru, I'm a friend of Sasuke's...you know Sasuke, right?"

Sai nodded, unsure if the man could see him or not. In the darkness, he saw the man smile. "Well, Sai...Sasuke has asked me a personal favor...you don't have to accept if you don't want to..."

Sai's eyes widened.

"What...what is it?" He asked quietly, careful not to wake Naruto up. Orochimaru leaned closer to the boy, cupping his cheek in his hands, which were as cold as his voice. Orochimaru's lips brushed across the boy's cheek.

"You've been asked to stay with me at my house on the north west end of town...not far from here, actually. If you come with me...you'll be able to see Mr. Uzumaki more often..."

Sai narrowed his eyes. He knew from experience that nothing in life came without a hitch. "And what do I have to do in exchange?" He whispered.

"Oh, nothing...for now...but when you're older, I was hoping you would accept me as...a client." Sai felt a cold tongue slip out and brush against his ear. He shivered, looking over at the boy sleeping next to him. Naruto looked almost angelic, his blond hair ruffled up against the down pillow. Sai's dark eyes closed momentarily as he thought about the proposition. He weighed his options, the pros and cons as Orochimaru's impatient hand caressed his cheek. Sai took a deep breath as he made is decision.

"I'll do it..." He said quietly, looking more at Naruto than at Orochimaru.

He heard a soft chuckle in the darkness.

"Good boy." He said softly. "I'll bring you to my house tonight and have Kabuto look after you..." he said, brushing his lips against Sai's cheek.

Sai watched the man leave, a shiver running down his spine. He felt uncontrollable fear as he huddled closer against Naruto's chest. Naruto opened a bleary blue eye and smiled at him.

"Be careful, Sai...I don't want you stitches opening up again..." He said, burying his face in the dark haired boy's neck. Sai smiled to himself. Whatever Orochimaru would do, it was worth it to be near the bright entity that was Naruto. He sighed contentedly as Naruto pulled him close and held him.

Slowly, Sai drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Jiraiya came in quietly about an hour later, shaking Naruto gently awake.

"Hey, kiddo...It's time to go..."

"But...what about Sai?" Naruto asked, Pulling his arm from beneath the sleeping teen.

"Tsunade say's he'll be all right in a little while, but for now, you and I need to get out of here." Naruto sat up, putting his shoes back on and glancing over at Sai, who was fast asleep. It was then Naruto noticed that Sai's ribs stuck out unhealthily, and his eyes looked a little more sunken. At the time, Naruto blamed it on the dim lighting.

Naruto stood up, recovering Sai with the blanket, taking extra time to smooth out the wrinkles and tucking it in. Sai stirred slightly but didn't wake, his soft black hair clinging lightly to the pillow. Naruto looked back at Jiraiya, who had turned away for a moment to suppress a sneeze. He took this moment to steal a soft kiss from Sai. Jiraiya recovered and took Naruto by the arm.

"Come on, kiddo, let's go."

Naruto looked over his shoulder at Sai's sleeping form as Jiraiya led him out.

They descended the wooden stairs to find Jiraiya's green sports car waiting outside.

"It'll just be a minute, stay here and keep your head down." Jiraiya said, shutting the car door. Naruto watched as Jiraiya went inside. He suddenly felt very alone, a pain forming in his side. Somewhere in his heart, he felt like something was wrong.

Jiraiya came back moments later, his face deadly serious. He got in the car, shutting the door.

"Okay kid, ya ready to go?"

Slowly, Naruto nodded.


	5. Hero's Come Back

A/N: Timeskip! I ripped off Kishimoto! shakes head in dismay I should not be proud of that...

* * *

Naruto parted the curtain slightly, looking out. Jiraiya had stepped out of the hotel room to make a quick call and would be back momentarily. They had been traveling a lot more of late, rarely spending more than three days in one place.

He had gotten the feeling a long time ago that they were running from someone or something, but he didn't know what until the past six months. Not only had Jiraiya began to drop little hints, but Naruto had listened in on some of the telephone conversations.

Mr. Namikaze was the head of the Irish Mafia in Butte, the Italian Mafia, the Akatsuki, had taken out a hit on Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto's mother, almost five years before. Exactly why Naruto hadn't figured out, not could he figure out why the Akatsuki wanted him so bad.

From the phone conversations, Naruto heard that that old man Orrochimaru, who had a taste for raven haired boys, had been found murdered in his home, and a new gang was on the loose, showing allegiance to neither the Namikaze nor the Akatsuki.

Naruto moved from the window as a car passed by. Moment's later, Jiraiya keyed into the room.

"Come on, kiddo, were goin' back to Butte."

Naruto flashed a dashing grin. The teen had become rather handsome.

"Already way ahead of you." He pulled the pre-packed suitcases out from under the bed. Jiraiya laughed.

"Kid, you got a one track mind…"

It was hard for Naruto, going through puberty and remaining chaste. The truth was he was waiting for him…for Sai. He knew that when he next saw Sai…he would tell him exactly how he felt…

It had been nearly five years since they had parted, and it never ceased to amaze Naruto that even for the little while he knew Sai, that the crush would have stuck. He had tried many times to forget the other boy, but found it many times to be impossible. He loved too deep, but that's the way his mother taught him.

Naruto climbed into the front of the blue truck, having sold Jiraiya's old, all too recognizable Ford some time ago. He sat back, waiting for the older man to get in and start it up.

Naruto was relieved when they passed the Coeur d'Alene city limit sign a half hour later. Jiraiya had been oddly quiet as the city lights faded into the trees behind them. They rumbled along twisting road in dead silence, nothing but night and trees surrounding them as they drove.

Once they passed the Montana border sign, Jiraiya pulled over, stopping the car and getting out. Naruto followed suit, shivering slightly in the March air. The snow was still laying thickly on the high mountain passes.

"Naruto, come here, I want to talk to you about something important."

Naruto came around the front of the truck, careful not to slip on the ice.

"What is it?"

"Well…" Jiraiya said, leaning back against the truck, the frame creaking from the man's weight. "It's about Sai…You see, about four years ago or so he paid off his debt to Mrs. Chin and moved in with the Uchiha boy and Orrochimaru…" Jiraiya paused to sneeze, Naruto waited impatiently for him to finish. " Well, about a month ago, Orrochimaru was found murdered and Uchiha was nowhere to be found. The police cleared Sai, but it's getting sketchy. I would advise when we arrive in Butte to not go looking for trouble. Especially not trouble named Sai. He'll know you're in town soon enough, if he wants to, he'll come to you, ya got that, kiddo?"

Naruto nodded, knowing full well that Jiraiya couldn't see him in the oppressive darkness of the Montana night. "Yes, sir."

"Ah, and Naruto…one more thing…" Jiraiya said, his voice shaking slightly.

Naruto cocked his head innocently, looking at the older man.

"What is it?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Ah…nothing… Now get back in the truck we got another two hours 'til Butte." He climbed back in the truck. Naruto stared out the window, picking out the high cliffs in the darkness. His thoughts wandered towards Sai.

It was true, and maybe the best plan, that if Sai felt the same way, he would find him… but one could never be sure…what if Sai didn't know Naruto was back?

Or worse?

What if Sai didn't feel the same way?

Sai sat in the corner of the bar, looking coolly at the people talking and laughing around him. He had learned a long time ago from Sasuke and Orrochimaru not to let his emotions show. It only made things more complicated. He listened to the conversations around him, gleaning them for any bit of information that he could. He had heard that once Naruto left, the Akatsuki had gone underground, but he didn't care about that anymore…he had money to make, rent to pay…

It's not like he had to do this, he had inherited a great deal from Orrochimaru, much to Sasuke's disapproval. But it was more out of habit than out of need. The businessmen had said Wall Street fell, and the town would be in ruins sooner or later, so Sai knew it was a good idea to make money while he still could. Then he could leave this hellhole for greener pastures…he was thinking of someplace out west, like San Francisco, or Pasadena.

He found a target, sitting alone at a table on the opposite end. He was middle aged, and from the style of his clothing, Sai guessed he was a miner, from the quality, Sai guessed he was a foreman.

Bingo.

The exotic, dark haired teen stood up fluidly, just as Sasuke had taught him many years ago. He glided almost noiselessly over to the man's table. The man had been downing whisky shots like there was not tomorrow, and Sai guessed by the look on the man's face, there was no tomorrow for him.

"Good evening." Sai said, sitting down saucily in the chair opposite the man, who looked up with a pair or surprised, piercing green eyes. Sai smiled seductively.

"What?" The man spoke in a harsh Irish accent. "What do you want?"

Sai smiled and leaned forward. "The question is, what do you want?" He said, his voice low and smoky. He had learned to change himself for every possible fetish there was out there. The man struck him as the kind that would go for that, so…

The green eyes looked him carefully up and down.

"How much you charging?" He asked, lowering his voice.

Sai smiled. "How much you got?"

Naruto and Jiraiya pulled into Butte in the silence of the early morning hours. The entire town seemed dead, quiet. Even through the darkness, Naruto could tell that Butte had changed altogether. He saw the tops of the mines that had sprung up all over the hillside in the middle of town, lit up in the night. It was almost sad.

They turned up the steep streets, passing an old stone church and turning left, passing Chinatown. Naruto wondered where they were going, why they weren't going straight to Walkerville. He suppressed a yawn as the truck pulled to a halt in front of a familiar Jazz club.

The Konoha's lights cut through the misty darkness as Naruto pulled the truck door open and climbed out after Jiraiya.

Even the Konoha had changed it's face since he had left, but Naruto guessed it was because of the shooting. Bells rang above the door as Naruto and Jiraiya entered the quiet hall.

"I'm sorry sir, we were about to…Oh, my!"

Two men who had been sitting by the door stood up as Tsunade dropped the glass she was polishing in surprise. She came around the side of the bar and threw her arms around Jiraiya, pulling him close to her large breasts.

"I can't believe you're back!" She sighed in excitement, pulling away and smiling up at the other man. Her amber eyes fell on Naruto.

"This…that can't be the same little brat that was with you a couple years ago, is it? Oh, look at you, kid! Oh, you look just like your father…" Tsunade pulled him into a stifling hug before pulling away and turning him around on the spot, looking him up and down. "Oh, my…"

Naruto flashed her his dashing smile and she nearly swooned.

"Oh!" She said, her eyes lighting up. "Show that smile around here and you'll have a girl within a week!" she cooed.

Naruto smiled again. He didn't want a girl…he wanted Sai… Naruto yawned yet again, looking around. Sakura was clearing a table in the corner, and Kakashi was playing cards with a stoic looking, square-jawed, dark eyed man. Kakashi looked up as Tsunade began to fuss over Naruto.

He put his cards down and stood up.

"Well, well, look who it is!" He said, walking over and leaning heavily on the bar with a smile.

"How have you been, Kakashi?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Sai and the man, who's name was simply 'John', like everyone else's, stumbled drunkenly down the street towards the back of Chinatown. John's fingers grasped roughly at Sai's thin black coat as they fell against a rough brick wall. John immediately began to kiss Sai roughly, his tongue launching down the teen's throat. Sai pulled away slightly in surprise. He would never be used to this, no matter how many times he did it.

"Come on." Sai whispered against the man's neck, nuzzling slightly just for the added emphasis. John wreaked of whisky and mud, like every other man named 'John' that Sai picked up.

The stumbled down towards the Konoha, where a dark colored truck was parked. Sai wondered for a moment, having never seen that truck before, but he was distracted as John pulled him down the alleyway none to gently.

They bypassed Mrs. Chin's laundry and cut through a small mini-street done up to look like a Shanghai marketplace. Sai smiled at the irony, how appropriate.

No one cared to cast a second glance at the Japanese prostitute and his client. It was nothing they hadn't seen before.

John rubbed his whiskered face against Sai's cheek, nearly sticking his nose in the teen's ear. Sai mustered all of his drunken dignity and persisted down the street to a darker part where people of all walks of life filed in and out of a broken down looking building. Sai smiled dimly as he escorted the man inside and down a set of stairs, straight into the dirty underground of Butte.

Naruto felt his blood run cold when he heard the news: Mr. Namikaze had been killed.

"H-how did it happen?" He asked, thinking of the blond-haired man who had seemed so full of life the last time he'd seen him.

"Naruto…as you know we do some pretty dangerous things. Mr. Namikaze had a hit taken out on him about a year ago." Jiraiya said quietly. One could tell that this news had taken it's toll on him. Even Kakashi looked as if he had been hit hard.

"He…he knew it was going to happen eventually." Tsunade said, pulling something out of the front of her dress and passing it across the table to Naruto. Naruto looked down at the envelope, confused as he picked it up. Everyone at the table was silent, watching him intently as he opened it.

It was from Mr. Namikaze.

After reading a few lines, Naruto knew the intent of the letter, and had rather mixed emotions about it.

"Why didn't anyone tell me he was my father?" He asked, the question filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow. Immediately, thoughts of what might have been flashed through his head, and he struggled to suppress his tears.

Kakashi took a deep breath, but Jiraiya cut him off.

"He wanted to protect you, Naruto…and your mother. He loved you two more than life itself, and he was crushed when he found out she had been killed." Jiraiya said evenly. He knew all too well that Naruto had developed a bad temper, which was kept under control for the most part, but every once in a while…

Naruto looked down at the letter again.

"What am I supposed to do now?" He said quietly.

He looked up at Tsunade. "It says that you are to take over until I am old enough to handle the Namikaze's affairs on my own." He said passing the letter to Tsunade, who took it from him with sad eyes.

"I know, kiddo." She said softly. "I've been doing my best, but unfortunately in these times, it seems like it's not enough." She said quietly. Naruto knew what she was talking about. He had remembered eavesdropping on one of Jiraiya's telephone conversations, talking about the stock market crash. Naruto nodded, his azure blue eyes reflecting the strength of his soul.

"It's all right, Miss Tsunade. I have faith in you." He said, smiling brightly.

guilty.

Sai stumbled down the darkened street. Things with 'John' hadn't gone well at all. Sure, he had gotten his money, but the price he had paid had been much greater.

He stared down at his blood-soaked hands, the blood not his own. He paused by a gutter not far from the Konoha and rinsed them off in the melting snow. He stood up, and wiped his split lip just as the door to the Konoha opened.

Sai frowned; It was late, the club should have been closed.

He watched as a stoic looking man came out behind Sakura and Kakashi. They were followed shortly by a very handsome, very familiar looking yellow haired boy.

Sai froze, almost instantly. "Naruto…?" He whispered into the night air. He knew he shouldn't have cared, but he felt something rising in his chest. He shook it off, dismissing it at the chill in the march air. He watched as the group walked down the street a little ways, completely oblivious to him, and climbed into a blue Chevy.

Sai's heart beat wildly as he watched Naruto open the door for Sakura. It wasn't often nowadays that one found such a gentleman.

The Chevrolet pulled away in to the night, it's tail light's fading slowly into the mist.

Sai let out a depressed sigh and turned away, shoving his reddened hands into his pockets and trudging back to his shared apartment above the Motherland Theatre.

Naruto stared absently out the window of Tenzou's car, glancing back at the Konoha. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw a dark shadow turn down an alleyway, but he said nothing as they drove up the steep streets, tuning, once again, to Walkerville.

Naruto was shocked at the blatant and shameless progress that had invaded the city limits. A new mine had sprung up, practically in Jiraiya's back yard. Naruto couldn't help but notice, though, that even Jiraiya's house seemed a little run-down looking. Kakashi got out, opening the door for Sakura.

"He left me in charge of his place while he was gone…" He said, opening the door.

Naruto sighed happily. Not one thing had changed since he was gone. The pervy naked pictures were still there, the hose was still in disarray…

He inhaled, sitting down with a smile. Sakura glowered at the pictures and sneered at the mess, but to Naruto, it was home.


	6. St Patricks Day

A/N: gigglesnort...porn...

I would like to announce that it is prononced May Wah and it is also connected to the Wah Chong Tai, and now it's a historical society dedicated to Montana's Asian history...(yeah, it's a real place and it is so COOL! )

* * *

Sai keyed into the small, crowded apartment. Immediately he was attacked by a loud woman chawing her gum noisily.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Sai! What the hell happened to you?" Ino shrieked, flying at him and poking at his blackening eye. She forced him to sit down at the table and put some ice chips in a towel.

"I had a client tonight..." He sighed, digging in his pockets and throwing a wad of cash, a pocket watch, and a wedding ring onto the table, as well as a hip flask full of vodka. "But he gave me trouble...He liked it a little too rough." Sai said frankly, holding the icepack against his face.

Ino sighed, counting the cash. "Sai, you gotta start making more money...we have rent to pay, mouths to feed..." She said, indicating the four other prostitutes asleep in the back room. Sai nodded.

"I understand...but...there isn't much call around here for ones like me..." He muttered, Ino nodded, inspecting the pocket watch.

"All though, this aint half bad...Shika and Choji are motoring over to Missoula after Saint Pat's day...I'll see if they can't fetch us a good price up there..." She said, putting both the ring and the watch in a chipped bowl on top of the icebox.

"You should get some sleep. You and Mary-Catharine are working the parade crowd tomorrow..."

Sai nodded, standing up.

"Thanks, Miss. Ino..."

xXx

Naruto woke up in the morning, his body slightly sore from the mattress in the extra bedroom. Sakura had left with Tenzou sometime the during the night, shortly after Jiraiya came in and sent Naruto to bed. He smiled, inhaling as the sun made it's way onto the bed. He could smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen and he got up, getting dressed and going to check it out.

To his surprise, Kakashi had stayed the night and was sitting at the dinner table reading the newspaper. He smiled when he saw Naruto.

"Good morning..." He said, standing up, oddly stiff. Jiraiya was in the kitchen, tuning bacon with a fork and singing lowly to himself.

He set breakfast on the table, sitting down.

"We're heading back down to Butte today..." He said, dishing himself up some eggs. "We're going to go to the St. Patrick's day celebrations..." He said.

Naruto nodded, helping himself to the milk. He smiled to himself. Large crowds meant he had a greater chance of running into Sai...

They finished breakfast and Kakashi and Jiraiya went into Jiraiya's bedroom to talk, or so they said. Naruto finished getting ready, making a lame attempt at combing his hair. He put his hat on, pulling it down over his eyes like Mr. Namekaze had done.

Kakashi came in to his room, wiping his mouth slightly. He froze when he saw Naruto.

"You look like your father, Naruto..." He said, his voice tinged with sadness. Naruto sighed, pulling his jacket on as Jiraiya knocked on the doorjamb.

"Come on, kid, we got to go!"

All three of them piled into the car moment's later, pulling down the hill towards the larger town.

When they got down to Park street, the parade was in full swing. Bagpipers were marching past in green kilts, and behind that was a marching band from Great Falls.

Naruto immediately lost himself in the crowd, which was slowly joining the parade. The entire street smelled strongly of alcohol, and people were pushing, shoving, laughing and hanging on each other. It had appeared as if the entire city had become drunk.

He grinned. This gave him an opportunity to look around for a bit. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around. The crowd seemed to be slowly moving west, pausing and condensing around intersections. He looked around for any sign of a familiar face.

xXx

Sai looked over at Mary-Catharine. She was a pretty girl with a soft Irish brogue, peaches and cream skin, and wide brown eyes that men often fell over themselves for. When she had moved in with Ino, she had sworn by her life she was sixteen, but Sai knew she was only thirteen. But he didn't care. She was an expert pick-pocket, and rarely had to take it any farther than 'excuse me'.

He watched as Mary-Catharine moved through the crowd, her slight figure darting in between the drunken mass. She'd be okay...

He turned around, pulling up the collar on his coat, to keep out the slight chill.

He looked around for an easy target.

Suddenly, he was crashed into by a tall blond with his hat pulled down over his eyes.

"Hey, watch..." He froze, as did the blonde. A pair of large, azure eyes blinked at him in surprise.

"Sai?"

"Naruto?"

Two hearts seemed to stop right there.

"Hey, long time no see..." Naruto said dumbly. Sai simply stared.

"That's an understatement..." He said bluntly, looking for an excuse to leave. Unfortunately for Sai, an excuse came in the form of a regular of his; Elisha Daly. He was a tall, angry young man with dirty blonde hair.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sai Oda..." He said, running his hand across Sai's ass. Sai flinched slightly and looked up at the man who was well over six foot. Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn't look up. "You doin business today? How about a little ménage'a'trois..." He said, bringing over a blonde woman in a short black dress with her hair hanging over one eye. The woman eyed Naruto closely. "I'll pay double..." Elisha offered.

Sai bit his lip...they needed the money...

"Sorry, buddy, no sale..." Naruto said, seizing Sai by the hand. "He's with me."

Elisha narrowed his eyes, ignoring the fact that the woman was now practically hanging on him.

"Come on..." She moaned. Something seemed chillingly familiar about her... It took a moment for it to sink in to Naruto, but soon he realized that the woman was actually a man. "I'll take you back to Venus Alley..."

Elisha smirked. "Come on, Sai...with a little persuasion from my father...I could get you into Dumas... " He touched Sai's face. "You're so pretty..."

Sai simply blinked in surprise. It was rare for Elisha to touch him in any other way than sexual.

"I said he's with me..." Naruto said, pulling his hat down further and tightening his grip on Sai's hand. The taller man leaned down to look at Naruto closer. Naruto could almost smell the alcohol on Elisha's breath.

"You're...Namekaze..." He said dumbly. The blonde snorted.

"Don't be stupid, Namekaze's dead...must be some poser..."

"Shut up, Deidara..." Elisha seethed, turning on the other man. "I'm not fucking stupid!" He said, striking him across the face, then grabbing his chin and kissing him violently.

Naruto took this opportunity to drag Sai into a nearby alley. Sai wrenched his hand away from Naruto's, furious that the other boy had the balls to break off a business transaction.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He snapped, raising a hand to slap Naruto, who had grown quick. He grabbed the other boy by the wrists, trapping him against the wall. He could feel Sai's slight form through his thin clothes. He leaned in, capturing Sai's lips in a kiss that grew more passionate as it went. He nibbled lightly on the brunette's lower lip, running his tongue gently along the plump flesh. Sai moaned into Naruto's mouth, closing his dark eyes. No one had kissed him like that in a long time, with so much passion, so much longing...it took his mind back to the moment in the alley behind Mrs. Chin's laundry...

Naruto made his way gently upwards, tilting Sai's head back with his fingertips.

Sai hadn't noticed when Naruto had let go of his wrist's... Naruto was gentle, touching lightly on his face and neck, slipping his tongue inside Sai's mouth and running it against the other boys tongue. Naruto pulled away, his azure eyes looking deeply into Sai's brown ones, his tongue bringing a slight stream of mixed saliva with him. Sai stood there for what felt like an eternity, breathless and just staring at the other boy.

Naruto dug in his pockets, pulling out some money. "If it's the money you're worried about, this should take care of whatever you lost in that transaction..." He handed Sai the folded up bills. Sai took it, frowning slightly. It was more than he usually got.

"So, what'll it be?"

Naruto blinked at him. "What?"

"Well, you hired me..." Sai said, looking at him through dark eyes. He wanted another kiss...No matter how many times Sai'd told himself he no longer felt anything for Naruto, he always found it was a lie...

"I, ah, ah..." Naruto stammered, blinking, making him look even more cute than before. Naruto wracked his brain, trying to remember what he saw Jiraiya doing with prostitutes... He shook his head. He couldn't do that...he hadn't seen Sai in years...

"Would you just...why don't...why don't we go get something to eat?" Naruto asked, offering his hand to the older boy. Sai blinked slowly.

"So you want me to be your date?" He said, his heart rising slightly. He had often dreamt of just being with, just seeing Naruto again... He took Naruto's hand gently, almost timidly, and they walked up the ally.

"So, what do you want to eat?" Sai asked, looking around at the crowd.

"Um...I don't know..." Naruto thought for a moment, looking around.

"This looks fit for human consumption..." He said, walking towards a street vendor that was selling corned beef and cabbage.

He paid the man and the two of them walked around, talking idly as they went.

"So, where the hell did you disappear to?" Sai asked, leaning against a brick wall.

"On the move, mostly..." Naruto said, looking up at the sky that was threatening to snow. "You know, I always wondered if you had healed up from that gunshot..." He said, eying Sai's lithe form.

"Yeah...Orrochimaru took me in...his personal nurse took good care of me..." Sai said, trailing off as he watched a man go past with a woman hanging all over him. Sai was hoping to show Naruto the scar sometime soon...it was something that a lot of his 'clients' really admired...

Naruto was quiet, thinking back to what Jiraiya had said about Orrochimaru.

"So...you...you're a..."

"A prostitute?" Sai asked. It was charming how Naruto had been uneasy with the word.

"Yeah, that..." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down. "How long have you been a...a...prostitute? Surely this is something new?"

Sai shook his head. "No...for as long as you've known me, I've been a prostitute..."

Naruto stared.

"But you were like, twelve or thirteen!"

"Some guy's like...young kids..." Sai said, his face suddenly looking tired and sunken. Naruto's thoughts trailed back to what he saw behind Mrs. Chin's laundry. He wanted to kiss Sai again... to take him in his arms and protect him from everything...

"Come on..." Naruto said, taking Sai's hand again and pulling him a little closer to him. They walked down the street, hand in hand, towards the Konoha. Sai felt safer when he was with Naruto, more complete than he had ever felt before. He rested his head on the blonde's shoulder, wrapping his arm around his waist and smiling as they entered the bar.

"Naruto Uzumaki..." He heard someone say from the corner.

Naruto glanced over. Sasuke was sitting with his feet on the table, a red headed woman in a short skirt and glasses was clinging to him, running her hands in places where they probably shouldn't have been this early in the day. Naruto glanced over at Sakura, who was serving drinks and looking totally devastated, despite her broad smile.

"Sasuke?" He asked. "Long time no see..." He said, tightening his grip on Sai's waist.

"So, you picked yourself up a common whore..." Sasuke said with a cocky grin, taking a swig of amber liquid. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Careful you don't catch anything..." He said, draining the glass and standing up.

"Come on, Karin." He said, dragging the woman out.

Naruto sighed, pulling out a seat for Sai before sitting down himself.

"Hey, guys, what'll it be?" Sakura said, coming over almost immediately. "Oh, hello, Sai..." She said, smiling slightly.

"Ah...I don't know..." Naruto said, looking down.

"Could we get some whiskey?" Sai asked, glancing over at the bar. He knew he shouldn't drink... Sakura smiled.

"Coming right up..."

The door opened and in walked Jiraiya and Kakashi, who both looked angry when they saw Naruto and Sai.

"Naruto. What did I tell you?"

"You told me not to go looking for Sai, but Sai found me, so there you go." Naruto said, slightly irritated. He was seventeen, dammit! Jiraiya sighed and sat down, followed by Kakashi.

They sat, talking and drinking until late in the day. Eventually, Sai stood up, glancing at Naruto.

"I should probably get going..." He said quietly.

"Wait, I'll walk you for a bit..." Naruto offered.

"No you wont..." Jiraiya said, his cheeks reddened by alcohol.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Jiraiya...please?" He said, putting a hand on Sai's back. Jiraiya shook his head.

"No."

"Oh, come on, where's the harm..." Kakashi said, clearly inebriated. Jiraiya glared at the silver haired man but shrugged.

"Whatever..." Jiraiya said, waving them off as he took another swig of caustic amber liquid.

Naruto beamed, taking Sai's hand and walking out the door.

The street was still slightly crowded, though those that kept godly hours had gone home. Almost immediately, Sai started hanging on Naruto, kissing him on the cheeks and lips. He didn't know what Sakura had put in the whisky, but it was messing with him something fierce.

"Come on, Naruto...let's find a nice dark place..." He whispered, leaning his head on the boy's neck. Naruto could smell the alcohol on the teens breath.

"You're drunk, Sai...besides, someone might see..." He said, putting his hand on Sai's lower back. Sai let out a frustrated moan.

"But you paid for me...at least let me service you..." He said, nuzzling Naruto's ear. Naruto blushed and shied away.

"Not here..."

Sai giggled, brushing his fingers over Naruto's chest, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt.

"Mmm, I bet you taste good..." He said, capturing the younger teens lips in a sloppy kiss.

Naruto blinked, not sure of what to do. Sure, he wanted to do things to Sai that he wasn't sure it was morally right to do, but he wanted to at least date the guy first...

They continued down the street a little ways, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being followed.

Sai struggled to keep his thoughts together as they hurried along the streets, but Naruto was acting too damn sexy, hell, to him, that lamppost they just passed was damn sexy...

Naruto was heading towards the spot where they had run into each other earlier, which was good for Sai, because he lived nearby.

Several people passed, eyeing them wearily, but not asking questions.

Sai's hand drifted south cupping Naruto's butt cheek firmly.

"I bet your big..." He muttered in the boy's ear, running his palm over Naruto's clothed butt. "I bet I can't even fit my mouth around it..."

Naruto blushed.

"Considering a few years ago, you weren't even sure I had one..."

"I only said that 'cause I thought you were cute...you're cute when you blush..." Sai said, dragging the boy into the ally, pushing the blond against the wall as Sai kissed him deeply. Naruto wrapped his arms around Sai, kissing back this time. Sai lifted his leg slightly, brushing his thigh against Naruto's groin and grinding slightly. Naruto blushed deeper, groaning at the friction. Sai smirked against Naruto's lips, his hands finding the buttons of the blonde's pants.

The brunet smiled victoriously to himself as he spotted the growing bulge in the younger teens pants. He palmed Naruto's growing erection, rubbing it through the fabric. Naruto let out a moan, bucking his hips towards the feeling. The blonde was panting, his eyes screwed shut as his hands wandered across Sai's back, finally coming to rest in the brunets hair. Sai leaned up, running his tongue along Naruto's lip before pressing their tongues together, grinding his hips against the blondes. He undid Naruto's belt with one hand, reaching down the front of the teens wool pants, running his fingers through a thick thatch of curls that he imagined were the same color of gold that was on the boys head.

Naruto moaned wantonly, fisting his hands in Sai's hair as Sai's cool, thin fingers wrapped around his throbbing member. It seemed to jump as the teen touched it, now begging for a release. Sai's talented fingers ran their way up the quickly hardening shaft as Naruto whined and pleaded for more.

"Naruto...tell me what you want..." Sai said with a whisper, his lips ghosting over the boy's golden cheeks. Naruto opened his azure eyes, clouded over by lust. His lips were swollen and puffy and his hair was plastered to his forehead by sweat.

"Sai..." he murmured, gasping as Sai grew more aggressive in his movements. "I...I want more...I want you..." He gasped softly.

Sai dropped to his knees, undoing the rest of Naruto's pants, exposing the blondes hardened cock to the cool night air. Naruto drew a shuddering breath as Sai licked at the tip, swirling the talented organ in the pre-cum and drawing it again across the slit. Naruto's fingers scratched the brick behind him, searching for something to hold on to. He buried his other hand in Sai's soft, black hair, moaning softly as Sai began to suck him down inch by inch, each suck harder than the last.

Sai's gentle fingers found their way up Naruto's thigh, tracing soft patterns on the firm skin before they began to gently stroke Naruto's balls, which felt heavy with the weight of impending release.

It wasn't long before a violent orgasm ripped through Naruto's body, unable to be held back. He sprayed his load all over Sai's face, moaning his name loud enough for a few pigeons to take flight in fear.

Sai smiled up at the blonde, licking the hot white substance off his chin.

"You liked that, didn't you?" He said, running a pale hand over Naruto's exposed stomach. Naruto's eyes followed his every movement, as if lost in a trance. Sai smiled.

"I thought so..." He whispered, taking the blondes flaccid penis in his mouth and cleaning him off. "You taste so good to me..." Sai murmured, standing up and wiping his face off on his sleeve. He leaned forward again, kissing Naruto on the neck while buttoning the younger teens pants.

"Naruto!" A voice shot through the alley's darkness as a man came towards them. Sai pulled away looking disappointed. Jiraiya came towards them, looking beyond irritated.

"We're going home!" He said, grabbing the teen by the arm and dragging a protesting Naruto off down the alley. Sai smiled as he watched them go, his heart swelling in his chest.

He wondered for a moment, if he really did love the blonde...in the end, Naruto was always the one he came back to...

He shook his head, dismissing the thought as he turned, cutting up the dark alley towards the crowded, noisy apartment.

Sai heard a noise on a fire escape above him and looked up.

There was a woman in a long black coat with a fox-fur collar sitting on the edge of the railing, her legs crossed and dangling over the side.

"Sai Oda..." She said, the alley echoing with her deep, smoky voice. Sai froze blinking up at her.

"Yeah?"

The woman shifted, and to Sai's surprise, leapt lightly off the wrought iron framework, landing on the cobblestone without even flinching. She came towards him, her heels clicking rhythmically on the stones. She was fashionably dressed beneath her coat, looking just like a model from a fashion article.

"I understand you're 'in the business'... " She said. A white paper flower held her blue finger waves away from her pale face. "I have a proposition for you..."

Sai shook his head. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't do women."

The woman laughed slightly, sending chills down Sai's spine. "This is a proposal of a different kind...that Naruto Uzumaki...you like him?"

Sai blinked. "Well...yes...I do..." He said quietly. The woman smiled.

"What if I said that we would pay you to spend time with him, get to know him?" She said, putting an arm around the teen. He tensed slightly.

"What do I have to do?" He said hesitantly.

The woman smiled sweetly. She was surprisingly pretty.

"Just tell us everything he tells you..." She cooed softly.

Sai thought about it for a minute. "And what happens if I say no?"

The woman smirked.

"Won't Mr. Uzumaki be disappointed..." she said softly, "I mean, the tragic suicide of his lover, and he just got back..."

Sai stopped short. "I'm not his lover..."

"Naruto doesn't think that...he's rather taken by you...I can see it in his eyes..."

Sai blinked down at his feet.

"I guess I really don't have much of a choice, now do I?"

Konan patted his back. "There's a good boy..." She said huskily. "I have a few friends at the Mai Wah down on Mercury street that will help you with anything you need..." She said, walking the rest of the length of the alley with her arm around him.

"Just tell them the Akatsuki sent you...but don't say any of this to Mr. Uzumaki, or things will go bad for both of you..." She said, withdrawing her arm and turning to him.

"Watch your step, Oda, we're everywhere...have a nice night..." She said sweetly as she walked away down the sidewalk.


	7. Trouble

A/N: Is anyone actually reading this?

Oh, shit, all my writings beginning to sound the same...

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto lay on the bed in Jiraiya's house, staring at the ceiling. He had just spent the past five minute car-ride getting yelled at about running off by a semi-drunk Jiraiya.

Apparently, the man had seen the entire thing…but that's not what he had been angry about, believe it or not. What had upset Jiraiya even more was that Naruto and Sai had wandered off like that in the neighborhood they had.

At first it surprised Naruto that Jiraiya didn't even bat an eye at Naruto and Sai's little episode, but he soon figured out, much to his surprise and dismay, that Jiraiya had been having similar relations with Kakashi.

He glared up at the ceiling. How was it different? He rolled over, knocking the letter from Mr. Namikaze…his father…off the nightstand.

He sat up, bending down to retrieve it, then it his him and he understood.

The men who had tried to kidnap him that night a few years ago…the men who had killed his mother…

He froze. The woman, er, man, who had been with that guy that had come on to Sai…

He got up, yanking open the door.

"Hey! Jiraiya!" He shouted. "Jiraiya! You old pervert, where are you!"

Silence.

Naruto wandered down the hall, flinging open the door to the old man's bedroom.

No one.

He investigated the rest of the house, soon finding out that he was quite alone.

"Dammit!" He swore, yanking open the front door and running out onto the porch. The car was gone.

Naruto growled audibly, crossing his arms to the chilly night and running back inside to grab his coat.

He slipped it on and was grabbing his shoes when something caught his eye. Jiraiya had apparently left his pistol sitting on the coffee table, a box of ammunition next to it.

He immediately thought of the blonde woman/man that he had seen with that guy earlier. He had definitely been one of the men in his mothers house the day she had died.

He grabbed the gun, making sure it was empty before tucking it safely into his belt. He grabbed a handful of bullets, stuffing them in his pocket before putting his shoes on and running out the door.

He had to find Jiraiya without being seen, before something bad happened.

xxXxx

Sai opened the door to the crowded apartment. Ino was sitting at the table, talking to a large, rosy-cheeked young man.

"Hey, Choji…" Me muttered, tossing what Naruto had paid him at Ino, who caught it, thumbing through the bills with a heavy sigh. She stood up.

"Where's Mary-Catharine?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I thought she came back…We got separated early this morning…" He said honestly. Ino looked pissed.

"You were supposed to stay with her…" She said angrily.

Choji stood up. "You want me to go looking for her?" He offered. Ino smiled and nodded. "Yes, please, Choji…" She said with a deceptively sweet smile. Choji frowned slightly but nodded, putting on his jacket as he left. Ino turned on Sai as soon as the door shut.

"First you lose Mary-Catharine, then you bring me this?" She snapped, waving the money beneath his nose. "You could have made over a hundred dollars today, and you bring me this?" She snapped, waving it in the air. He backed up.

"I…I'm sorry…" He said, backing against the wall.

"We actually had a client come by and complain about you! Complain, Oda! You're lucky I contracted you out to him for the next week, but we're going to lose a lot of money…don't let it happen again!" She said, slapping him and tucking the bills in her dress, stomping away into the back room. Sai slumped against the wall in shock. The Mai Wah and that lady's offer was starting to sound better…

Ino stormed back out, grabbing something and tossing it into his arms.

It was a bag with all his belongings.

"You're spending the next week at the Dailys' mansion as a maid…or, that's the official story, Mr. Daily is meting you outside in five minutes, now get going!' She snapped, pointing harshly at the door. Sai stood up, shaking slightly and left the apartment. He didn't want to do this…but rent was getting almost too expensive, even for all the people who were living there… He sighed and slung the bag over his shoulder, walking down the wrought iron stairs.

"Well, hello there, Sai…" He heard a familiar voice say as he hit the last three steps. He looked up into the face of Elisha Daily.

Elisha grabbed him by the wrist, his large hand closing completely around Sai's small, porcelain one.

"Get in the car…" He said, throwing him in the back seat and climbing in after him.

"I paid for you for a week, I expect to get service…" He said, unbuttoning Sai's pants viciously, tearing at the thin fabric as he went. He pulled the black fabric off of Sai's milky white thighs, shredding it beneath his fingers. Sai tried to back away, his back hitting the door, scratching at his skin. Elisha grinned, pulling his cock out of his pants and bending Sai's legs over his shoulders, rubbing it between Sai's perfect globes as he leaned in and kissed him, biting at Sai's lip. Sai let out a small grunt from the pain as crimson droplets formed on his skin, but Elisha licked them away, forcing his dry cock into Sai's unprepared hole. Sai screamed in pain and Elisha grabbed his hips roughly, forcing Sai to keep still.

"Shut up, It's not that bad!" Elisha said, slapping Sai across the face and thrusting in.

"Mmmh, your ass is so tight…It feels so good…" He said, thrusting in and out without mercy. Sai felt like he was being torn in half. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain and slowly, it began to hurt less for him. Elisha suddenly pulled away in disgust.

"You're fucking bleeding!" He hissed, slapping Sai across the face. "You fucking can't even take my cock!" He hissed, slamming Sai's head against the back of the drivers seat. Sai felt dizzy as he struggled to right himself, the pain from the forced intrusion shooting up his spine like living flame. Elisha barely let him move before he grabbed him roughly, flipping him over on his stomach and pulling his ass into the air.

The next thing he knew, he felt Elisha's tongue dipping into his abused hole, licking at the bloody entrance. It burned slightly as he dragged it across the small tears on the outside, fingering Sai's still flaccid penis roughly.

"You don't like this…" Elisha said, running his fingers over one of Sai's smooth ass cheeks. "But I do…" He said, running his tongue over the flesh where his finger had been before biting down sharply, leaving deep teeth marks in the usually flawless flesh. Sai moaned, biting his arm to keep from crying. It hurt so badly…he just wanted it to end.

He began to shut down mentally, giving the larger man free reign over his body.

xxXxx

Naruto was surprised how shrot the run was down hill to Butte. The two towns had almost meshed together over the years, but the Konoha was still almost five blocks away. He stopped on a street corner, panting slightly and adjusting the gun. He looked around, almost as if the blonde or one of his associates would be right there, hiding in the shadows. He shuddered, fingering the grip of the gun before pressing on, quickly losing his way in the labyrinth of streets.

Naruto began to panic, looking around wildly for any sign of where he was. He spotted a familiar looking theatre, the Motherland, a silver car parked outside. He remembered, that's where Sai mentioned he lived…

Naruto smiled. He had dropped Sai off nearby earlier…maybe he could use it as an excuse to stop by and see the exotically beautiful brunet…

He shook himself mentally. No. He had to find Jiraiya, it was the entire reason he had run out of the house in the middle of the night…

Naruto sighed, crossing the street, concealing himself in the shadows cast my the streetlamp. It wouldn't hurt to just walk past…

He walked quietly down the street, turning the collar on his jacket up to keep the cold out. He looked up at the theatre as he walked past, wondering which apartment was Sai's.

xxXxx

Sai glanced out the window as Elisha mounted him again, rocking his body slowly while massaging his cock into life. In his daze, he spotted a familiar blonde teen walking past the theatre, just feet away from him.

_It's just a hallucination…_ he told himself as tears streamed down his face. _I'm seeing something I want to because of the pain…_

"Naruto…" He whispered hoarsely, reaching out and touching the foggy glass as the boy passed, seemingly clueless to his surroundings.

Elisha stopped for a second upon hearing the blondes name.

He grabbed a fistful of soft, raven hair, yanking his head backwards, causing the teens back to strain. "It's Elisha…I'm fucking you, you worthless brat!" He snapped, biting violently into one porcelain shoulder, causing Sai to cry out in agony.

It only took a few seconds for the car door to be yanked open, the cold night air rushing through the car. Naruto stood there, an odd, dreamlike sort of fog surrounding him as he gripped a pistol, his gorgeous blue eyes screwed up in concentration.

"Naruto!" Sai cried as Elisha pulled his cock out of the brunettes ass with a wet pop. Without wasting a second, Elisha had pulled a tiny, single shot derringer out of seemingly nowhere.

There was a loud pop, followed by dead silence. Sai didn't dare look up, fearing the worst. He saw Naruto drop to his knees outside the car, but much to his surprise, he felt the blondes hand touching his hair gently.

"Sai?" He heard the teen croak weakly. "Sai, it's all right, It's over…I got him…" He said, reaching in and lifting Sai bridal style, struggling slightly with the older boys weight. Sai almost immediately began sobbing, clinging to Naruto's neck. Naruto set him down on the back of the vehicle, the cool metal feeling good on Sai's abused muscles.

"Sai, we gotta get out of here…" Naruto said, looking around, his adrenaline pumping as he reached out, caressing the tears from the other boys face. "I…I can't believe I just killed some guy…what am I going to do?" He whimpered, watching as the lights started coming on around the street.

"We have to get rid of the body…" Sai said, wiping his eyes. "I know just the place…"

Naruto looked at him through concerned cerulean eyes, his blond hair glowing slightly in the streetlamp, making him look even more like an angel to Sai.

"Just take me with you…" he begged. "I don't want to be seen like this…" He said, indicating his shredded, bloodstained clothing. Naruto nodded, picking him up and putting him in the front seat of the car before climbing in the drivers side. He thought for a moment, trying to remember how Jiraiya and Kakashi drove.

He started the car and pulled jerkily away down the street before anyone in the apartment's above had seen.

"The Berkely pit…" Sai siad quietly. "Just up to the northeast, okay…" He said quietly, citing the acidic dumpsite used by the mines.

"What about the car?"

"That's going to have to go, too…" Sai said quietly, looking around the car for something to wear. In a box in the back seat, he found a black, beaded women's dancing dress. He groaned out of pain, more so than humiliation as he removed the remains of his clothing and slid the dress over his head. It fit him annoyingly well and made Sai wonder if it had been planned for him.

A little while later, they arrived at the edge of a deep, mile wide hole filled with a caustic smelling toxic sludge. Naruto wondered how he had missed it, since Walkerville overlooked the disgusting place.

Sai climbed out of the front, grabbing a matching pair of heels from the same box.

"Do we just push it in?" Naruto asked, running to the back and looking at Sai for guidance. Sai shook his head as he stepped into the shoes. "No, try to put him in the front seat…" He said, his muscles aching as he tottered towards the blonde. Naruto nodded, and Sai helped him drag the freakishly huge copper heir into the drivers seat, careful to not get any blood on themselves.

"Okay…" Sai said, trying to keep himself from bleeding again. "Now it's time for him to go…" He said, stumbling slightly and clinging to Naruto for stability. This was hardly his idea of romantic, but Naruto thought otherwise. He grabbed Sai's waist gently, kissing him sweetly as he caressed the older boy's cheek. Sai almost melted right there. Naruto had always been so sweet…

Naruto pulled away reluctantly, bending down to push the bumper of the car forward. It didn't budge until Sai helped, using the heels of the shoes to brace himself in the soft ground. The car gave, going slowly over the edge of the pit, but at the last minute, the trunk flew open, revealing the bruised, bloody body of Mary-Catharine. From the looks of it, she'd been dead since the previous morning. Sai shuddered as he clung to Naruto, feeling bad about her end not being more honorable, about not finding her a more decent resting place…

Naruto put his arm around him and drew him close, having less qualms about killing the man than before. They clung to each other almost desperately as they watched the car sink to the bottom of the green mire.

"Come on, we should get out of here before the pigs come by…" He said shakily, taking Sai by the hand as a slight trickle of blood ran down one pale leg. Sai nodded, stumbling slightly on the high heels heals as Naruto led him up the road, eventually carrying him bridal style all the way back to Jiraiya's house.


	8. The Last Night

A/N: Sorry it's short...finals are here (starts playing teh Imperial march from Star Wars) please bear with me...

xxXxx

When they got back, Jiraiya still hadn't come home, which had Naruto worried. Naruto went into the bathroom and ran a bath for Sai, who stood in the living room, looking around awkwardly. It had to have been one of the nicest places he'd been in since Kakashi's apartment a few years back. He suddenly felt out of place, like a dirty intrusion on Naruto's life. He tottered on his heels, pain shooting up his back as guilt hit him like a wave. Had it not been for him, Naruto wouldn't have been in this kind of trouble…

Naruto came out, a smile on his face.

"Now you can take a bath…I'll look for something else for you to wear…" He said, taking the teen by the hand and leading him into the clean white bathroom. Sai shivered slightly, still feeling out of place. It seemed so modern to have indoor plumbing…

Naruto smiled awkwardly, laughing slightly like he was nervous before turning to go. Sai caught him by the arm.

"Please, don't leave me alone…" He begged. Naruto looked surprised, and a little embarrassed.

"Oh…okay…"Naruto said as Sai slipped his arms around the blonde's waist. Naruto ran his hands up Sai's back, lacing his fingers in the beaded fringes of the black dress. Sai actually looked kind of good in it, for a boy…

He pulled the dress off over Sai's head, a few beads bouncing to the floor as one of the strands broke. Sai shivered slightly in spite of the warm bathroom. He just wanted to forget that night…

Naruto helped him into the bath, the warm water coming up to Sai's shoulders. Naruto rolled his sleeves up and rubbed Sai's abused back, letting the water work out the tense muscles. Sai closed his eyes and leaned forward. Naruto was really an angel, he had to be…

Naruto stopped, and a few moment's later, Sai felt Naruto climbing into the bath behind him, the blonde's warm, tan flesh melding with his own. Naruto put his arms around Sai, running his hands over Sai's stomach and chest, the dirt and grime washing away in the warm, clear water. Sai closed his eyes and leaned back in Naruto's arms, the pain fading away.

Soon, Sai had fallen asleep. Naruto finished washing him carefully, amazed at the grime that came away with the soap and water. He lifted Sai out of the tub and carried him to his room, laying him gently on the bed before going back to the room and cleaning up. He came back in, locking the door behind him and crawling in bed with the brunet. Sai smelled clean, and he looked so innocent with his black hair fanning lightly against the white pillows. Naruto smiled to himself and pulled the other boy closer, drifting slowly off to sleep.

xxXxx

The next morning, Naruto was awoken by someone knocking on his bedroom door. Sai was still asleep by his side, having shifted only a little to lean into Naruto's warms embrace. Naruto grumbled slightly, pulling a nightshirt on and opening the door a crack. It was Jiraiya, thankfully. Naruto slipped out the door, careful to not let him see Sai.

"Where the hell were you last night?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"Sorry, kid, after that incident yesterday I had to run to Bozeman to do some damage control with the Hyuuga's…" He said, eyeing Naruto wearily. "So how long has he been here?"

Naruto stopped scratching. "Who?"

"Sai, I know he's here, I found the dress, and its not cut for any woman…" He said, indicating the black garment, which was folded and sitting on a chair. "I don't know what bizarre game you were playing last night, but the drops of blood on the bathroom floor and the ring of grime in the tub told me it was him. That kid's always bleeding from somewhere…"

Naruto sighed. "I went to find you after last night, but ran into him…he had run into a bad situation and needed my help…" Naruto said, crossing his arms, mirroring Jiraiya's stance perfectly.

"How noble of you…" Jiraya said dryly. "I don't care, just stay out of trouble. That goes for the both of you…If I find out he's up to something, it's curtains for him, understand?"

Naruto nodded solemnly, thinking deeply about the boy in the next room.

_He wouldn't be up to something, would he?_

_Not Sai…_Naruto looked down at the floor, turning to go back into his room.

Sai stirred slightly when Naruto came in, but didn't wake. Naruto looked down, caressing one pale, exposed shoulder, the bite marks from Elisha's attack still faintly present. He leaned down and kissed Sai's cheek, just below the line of his dark lashes.

Sai's dark eyes fluttered open and he gasped slightly upon seeing Naruto, suddenly remembering his conversation with the blue haired woman.

Naruto smiled down at him awkwardly.

"Hey, good morning…" He said, pulling away and scratching the back of his head. Sai sat up, a pain shooting up his spine.

"Ah…" He moaned, shifting his weight. Naruto immediately began to fuss over him.

"Are you feeling okay? You're not hurt badly are you?" He asked, thinking of the blood he'd seen the night before. Sai shook his head.

"I'll be fine…" He said, looking away. "I have to get out of here, though…" He said, standing up.

"What? Why? Why so soon?" Naruto said, suddenly thinking of the night before. He sat down on the bed, staring at the floor.

Sai sat down beside him, his pale skin almost blending in with the sheets. "Naruto…." He said softly, leaning on the younger teens shoulder. "There are people out there…that want to hurt you…I don't know why…but they do…" He said quietly, rubbing Naruto's back slowly. "I really like being with you…" He sighed.

Naruto blinked down at his hands.

"I like being with you too…" He said quietly, his mind racing. What was Sai going to tell him?

The room was quiet for a long time. Outside, they could hear Jiraiya moving around the house.

"I…I have to go…" He said, standing up and looking around. He ignored the pain in his back. "I think it's best for your safety if you don't go looking for me… He said, crossing his arms.

"Can I have the dress back?"

"No." Naruto said, standing up and crossing his arms.

Sai glared up at the blond. "Give me the dress back…I have to go." He said slowly.

"I'm not letting you go out wearing that abomination…" He said, going to a drawer and pulling out some clothes that he himself had outgrown.

"See if these fit…" He said reluctantly, tossing the clothes at the teen. Sai blinked at him before pulling the shirt on and buttoning it. It was still a little big, Naruto was quite a bit bulkier than himself.

"So where are you going now? Are you going to stay in Butte?"

"I don't know…" He said quietly, buttoning the pants up. He looked up at Naruto, who's beautiful blue eyes looked sad. He crossed the room, pulling Naruto into a kiss. Naruto seemed surprised, but kissed back, wrapping his arms around the smaller teens waist.

"One for the road…" Sai said, pulling away and heading out the door. Naruto watched him leave, tempted to follow, but didn't. He could feel his heart aching inside his chest. It wasn't fair. Every time Sai was within his grasp, he just slipped away further…

He heard the front door close, the only sound now was that of Jiraiya's typewriter in the next room.

Sai walked down the street barefoot, looking up at the darkening sky. What the hell was he going to do now?

He moved over as a small green car rumbled past him, letting his thoughts wander as he neared Butte. He moved over to avoid some broken glass, his heart aching. Sai had never really felt that way about anyone…not even Sasuke…

He got in the city limits, picking his way along a cobbled alleyway. The clothes he wore even still smelled like Naruto…

"Sai Oda…." He heard a familiar voice call out of the shadows. He shivered as he turned to face the always fashionable blue-haired woman.

"Did you have fun last night?" She cooed, stepping towards him, the fox fur on her collar ruffling gracefully in the breeze.

"I have no idea what you are talking about…"

The woman smiled softly, putting her arm around him again.

"Oh, now we both know what I mean…" She said, almost forcing him to move foreword. Her perfume was almost intoxicatingly strong as he moved by her side. "I must say, though…getting rid of that Daily brat was quite a notch in our staff…" She said with soft, cold laugh. Sai shivered.

"And the Berkley pit…now that was creative…we could use someone like you in our little organization…"

Sai played dumb. "What are you talking about?"

"Just come with me…you're going to meet my big brother…He's been just dying to meet you…" She said, holding a small, silver handgun to his ribcage. Sai froze, thinking immediately of Naruto. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

"Come on…big brother is waiting…" She said, herding him into a shiny black car. A silver haired man who was dressed as a priest was sitting in the front.

"Take him to the Mai Wah…step on it Father Hidan…"


	9. The Mai Wah

A/N: Moo.

* * *

Naruto lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The sheets and blankets still carried the scent of the exotic brunet, giving Naruto a mixture of sadness and joy. He wanted to hold on to that scent, and yet at the same time, forget the other boy.

There was a soft knock on the door and Jiraiya came in seconds later.

"Is he gone?"

Naruto didn't even respond. Jiraiya sat down on the bed.

"I know it's hard...I know you liked him..."

"He's leaving the area for good I think..." Naruto said quietly into the pillow. Jiraiya rubbed his shoulder. "It hurts now, but it will eventually go away..."

"I don't want it to..." Naruto said, rolling over and staring at the ceiling. "He was the best thing that ever came of mother's death..." He said, watching a spider crawl across the light fixture. He rolled over again, burying his face in the pillow. Jiraiya nodded silently, rubbing his chin.

"Kakashi was the same way after losing Obito in the war..." He said thoughtfully, rubbing Naruto's back gently. Naruto moaned into the pillow, fisting his hands in the soft white fabric as he held back tears.

"It'll be okay, kiddo...now get up...we have to go down to the Konoha..." Jiraiya said with a sigh, standing up.

xxXXxx

Sai sat in the back of the car, his heart beating wildly as the car sped down hill towards Mercury street. He could feel the blue-haired woman's gun pressing into his ribs. The pulled to a stop outside the Mai Wah and the blue-haired woman nodded for him to get out. The priest looked around.

"You don't fucking expect me to get out of the fucking car? It fucking reeks out there!"

The blue-haired woman leaned down. "Well...having a priest get out on Mercury street would look rather odd, now wouldn't it?" She said coolly, slamming the door. The car sped off down the street, kicking up rocks as it went.

The woman sighed as she watched him go. "Now you're a quiet one, aren't you?" She said, gripping Sai's shoulder. He didn't dare look at her as she herded him inside, up a set of wooden stairs, the delicious smell of noodles filling the air. People didn't even give her a second glance as they went down a short hallway on the short, middle flight, passing herbalist rooms as they went.

She knocked on a small wooden door in the back, which opened moment's later to a man with bright orange hair and an expensive looking suit sitting behind his desk.

He didn't even look up when they came in.

"Konan, did you find him?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, here he is..." She said, pushing Sai forward. The man looked up with a pair of eerie green-grey eyes.

"Naruto Uzumaki's lover, eh?" He said, standing up and looking Sai over. "That will do, Konan."

The woman nodded and left reluctantly. The door slammed shut, revealing a tall man with dark hair. Sai immediately recognized him as an Uchiha, which made no sense, since the only surviving two were supposed to be Itachi and Sasuke.

"Well well, looks like our plan can go through..." He said, his voice dangerously low, sending shivers down Sai's spine. Pein came around the edge of the desk.

"I know Konan has told you what you are to do..." He said simply.

"I never agreed to it." Sai said, tensing up slightly. He just wanted to get out of here, leave it all behind...

"You really don't have a choice now do you?" Pein said, taking a revolver out of a box on his desk. "Imagine how heartbroken Mr. Uzumaki would be..." He said, sliding a bullet into each slot. "If you were found shot to death in an alleyway?" He said, aiming the pistol right at Sai's face, cocking it.

Sai flinched. "It's over between Naruto and I..."

"Make it not over, or else..." Pein said, pulling the trigger. The bullet hit the door, splintering the wood where it impacted. "Next time my aim won't be so good, Sai Oda." Sai stared at him, his breath caught in his throat as his heart hammered in his chest.

"Understand?"

"Y-yes sir."

Pein put the pistol down on his desk, his face still unreadable.

"Good boy...now go downstairs...there's someone waiting for you...and remember...we always know where you are..."

Sai nodded and left, casting a glance at the evil-looking Uchiha before shutting the door behind him.

xxXXxx

Naruto sat at the bar, staring at Sakura and her dark haired friend, a pretty girl with violet eyes, who kept glancing over at him. They were talking and laughing quietly amongst them selves while pouring over the fashion section of the newspaper.

"Why the long face, brat?" Tsunade asked, polishing a glass before setting it neatly on the shelf behind her.

Naruto mumbled a reply, drawing a lewd picture on the newspaper with a pen. Tsunade sighed, patting her hair and disposing of the newspaper behind the counter.

"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura called from the other end of the bar. Naruto looked up at her with hollowed eyes. "My friend Lee, Hinata and I are catching that Charlie Chaplain movie tonight...you wanna come? Hinata motored all the way from Bozeman." She said, indicating the pretty girl beside her, who blushed crimson.

Naruto shook his head. "No thanks...I think I'll just hang around here for a bit..." He said, leaning his cheek on the counter and fogging up the polished wood with his breath. He wanted to die at that moment. He wanted to go throw himself in that damned deathtrap of a lake called the Berkley pit.

Sakura frowned, but eventually left with a concerned looking Hinata in tow.

Kakashi came and sat down beside the blonde, putting a hand on his back.

"Hey...Jiraiya told me what happened..." He said quietly, staring at Naruto through mismatched eyes. Naruto looked up at him without lifting his head from the counter.

"I don't want to talk about it..."

"You really liked this guy, didn't you kiddo?"

Naruto pressed his forehead against the bar.

"Yeah, now leave me alone..." He mumbled against the wood. Kakashi removed his hand from the boys back, but stayed, pulling out his romance novel and leaning an elbow on the counter. They sat there in silence for the longest time, Naruto feigning sleep. Several customers came in and stared, but said nothing.

It became clear to Naruto that this feeling would never leave him...

xxXXxx

Sai descended the wooden stairs, looking around for whomever he was supposed to meet with in the shadows of the Chinese Mercantile. Much to his dismay, however, it was the blond man from St. Patrick's day, now accompanied by a rather bored looking redheaded man.

"Hey, you." The redhead snapped, his voice sounding much older than Sai had expected. "You're coming with us..." He said, grabbing his shoulder. They led him out the back into the infamous Venus alley, where prostitutes had set up small cubicles from which they practiced their trade. It was difficult for Sai to block out the sounds and smells, but the other two men seemed completely unfazed by their surroundings.

They cut up the back of the street, turning northwest to a small corner shop that had been painted blue.

They went inside, the bell above the door jingling merrily as they went. A singer sewing machine sat in the corner, beside it a male mannequin draped in a thick grey wool. A man was sitting with his back to them, and much to Sai's surprise, the priest was sitting in a chair next to him.

"Hey, Kakuzu." He said, jabbing the black haired man in the arm. "Wake up you fucking half-breed!"

"Shut up, Hidan." The man snapped, jabbing him viciously with a large darning needle. He turned around, looking like he was going to tear someone's head off. His face quickly changed when he saw Deidara and the redhead.

"Orders from Mr. Yahiko?"

"Yes...fix him up, he's helping us against the Namikaze..." The redhead said, shoving Sai forward into the mans arms. Sai blinked up at him and saw that he might have at one point been good looking, tall and strong, of Native American ancestry, but his face had been marred and then stitched shut roughly. It was Kakuzu's eyes that were eerie, a startling bright emerald color. He smiled down at the teen, a needle between his lips.

"So this is Sai Oda? It's a pleasure to meet you, son." He said, shaking the boy's hand in a deceptively friendly manner.


End file.
